The High Court has overturned a permanent stay in a historical abuse case against the Salvation Army, allowing the trial to proceed despite challenges from the passage of time and lost evidence.
The case, brought by a claimant known as RC, centred on allegations that RC suffered abuse at the hands of a Salvation Army officer in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
RC alleged that Lieutenant Frank Swift, a Salvation Army officer at the Nedlands Boys’ Home in Western Australia, sexually abused him during his time at the home. RC filed the claim in 2018, after limitations on such claims were lifted under the Limitation Act 2005 (WA), which removed the time bar for child sexual abuse actions.
Source: High Court rules Salvation Army case on historical abuse can proceed to trial | Australasian Lawyer