No verdict in child sex abuse trial of former Mount Isa priest

Hung jury in trial of former Mount Isa priest accused of abusing boy in late 1970s Thu 6 Aug 2026 at 5:40pm In short: The jury has been discharged in the trial of Neville Joseph Creen, who was accused of abusing a boy under 14 years old in the late 1970s and early '80s. He pleaded not guilty to repeated sexual conduct with a child and indecent treatment of a child. What's next? The matter will return to court next week. A jury has failed to reach a unanimous verdict in the trial of a former Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a boy almost 50 years ago. Warning: This article contains details of alleged child sexual abuse some readers might find distressing. Neville Joseph Creen was a priest in Mount Isa during the 1970s and early '80s when he was accused of having a sexual relationship with a boy who was between 10 and 11 years old. The 86-year-old faced trial in the Townsville District Court this week after pleading not guilty to one count of repeated sexual conduct with a child and two counts of indecent treatment of a child under 14 years old. The prosecution told the jury that Mr Creen had allegedly sexually touched the boy and forced him to perform oral sex when they were alone in a back room in a church. During the three-day trial, Mr Creen took to the witness box and denied ever knowing the complainant and denied the alleged acts occurred. The jury deliberated for six hours but was unable to reach a unanimous decision. Judge Terry Gardiner discharged the jury of six men and six women. Mr Creen was expressionless as the jury was discharged. 'Nobody else was there' During the trial, Crown prosecutor Andrew Walklate said as a priest, Mr Creen was alone with boys for duties and that there was opportunity for the alleged abuse to occur. Before a closed court and with a screen installed to obscure Mr Creen, the male complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, gave evidence. Prosecutors alleged Mr Creen had touched the complainant's penis in the back room of the church when he was in grade 5 or 6 at a Mount Isa school in the late 1970s and early '80s. The court heard on another occasion while the pair were allegedly alone in the same back room, Mr Creen allegedly forced the complainant to perform oral sex on him. "Nobody else was there," Mr Walklate said. Prosecutors alleged that after the two incidents, Mr Creen allegedly continued to force the boy to engage in oral sex on about 10 occasions. "It would be done at opportune moments," Mr Walklate said. The court heard the complainant began "playing up" at school to avoid being alone with Mr Creen. The prosecution argued that although it had been almost 50 years since the alleged offending, the complainant was consistent in his evidence about the alleged abuse. Mr Creen takes the stand During the trial, Mr Creen chose to give evidence and said he did not know the complainant nor had any sexual contact with him. "No, definitely not," he said under cross-examination. The jury heard Mr Creen was a well-known Catholic figure in the Mount Isa community at the time and that his work included being a mine chaplain and marriage counsellor. Mr Creen told the court no records of priest's rosters or daily movements were kept at the time. His lawyer Jessica Horne said the prosecution case was "blurry" and that there was not enough evidence corroborating the complainant's accusations. "You have to be really sure of [the complainant's] evidence," she said. "There isn't any other evidence you can turn to." She also said there was not enough evidence to prove that the complainant had identified the correct priest. "Keep in mind the frailty and shortcomings of memory in the context of a very long delay," she said. "Draw on your own experiences of faulty memory recall or memory reconstruction." A school friend of the complainant and a police officer also gave evidence. Mr Creen was granted bail and will return to court when the matter is mentioned again on August 13.