Abuse survivor makes sensational claims

A woman from a survivors' network for people abused by priests wants the federal government to investigate allegations of an elite pedophile ring.

The victim of an alleged child sex trafficking network claims she was prostituted at dozens of pedophile parties, which were attended by at least three former prime ministers at Canberra's Parliament House.

Fiona Barnett also claims she witnessed "hundreds of crimes" - including murder, rape, abduction and torture - at the hands of the so-called elite pedophile ring 40 years ago.

The network, which Ms Barnett maintains still operates today, included high-ranking politicians, and police and judiciary members.

Ms Barnett, 45, said she had reported the allegations to multiple health professionals, NSW Police in 2008 and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2013.

"My experiences were horrific beyond words... but the way I've been treated for reporting the crimes I witnessed and experienced has been far worse than my original abuse experiences," she said.

Child sex abuse advocacy group, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests Australia (SNAP), says it has heard from several other alleged victims who say they have witnessed similar offences of rape, torture and murder perpetrated by the most senior people in Australia.

"We're not talking about an isolated incident and an isolated survivor. It's a pattern, it's widespread and it's continuing today," SNAP leader Nicky Davis said.

She claimed many survivors had spoken and given evidence to police and the abuse royal commission but were mostly ignored.

The group has urged the federal government to launch an investigation into the elite pedophile network.

Ms Barnett said she was "five turning six" at the time of the alleged incidents at Parliament House.

The allegations come after Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan told a parliamentary inquiry he had a list of 28 prominent pedophiles, which allegedly included a former prime minister and members of the judiciary.

Speaking under the protection of parliamentary privilege in a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday, Senator Heffernan claimed the list was uncovered during the Wood Royal Commission into the NSW Police Force.

Senator Heffernan didn't name any names but called on Attorney-General George Brandis to expand the child abuse royal commission so that it includes the legal fraternity.

However, Attorney-General George Brandis said just because someone's name appeared on a list didn't make them guilty.

He advised Senator Heffernan to go to the current abuse royal commission, which would decide if the information was something it could inquire into.

"We should respect any decision of the royal commission about the ambit and scope of its terms of reference," he said.


Share
3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Abuse survivor makes sensational claims | SBS News