Shocking news out of Newcastle: Graeme Lawrence, 82, a former Anglican priest, has been arrested and charged with historic SA offences dating back more than 40 years.
Police from the Mid North Coast District began investigating in April 2025 after receiving a report of SA at a church in the northern Riverina region of western NSW between 1982 and 1984.
Today, detectives arrested Lawrence at a Kotara residence around 10:30 AM. He was taken to Newcastle Police Station and charged with five counts of SA involving a child under 16, two counts of SA (Category 3) involving a child under 16, and indecent acts with a person under 16.
He has been refused bail and is scheduled to appear before the Bail Division Court tomorrow, Tuesday, 9 September 2025.
Lawrence has a history of convictions for child-related offences. In 2019, he was sentenced for a historic sexual offence involving a 15-year-old boy in 1991. He served time in prison, and his previous convictions highlighted ongoing concerns about how the church handled abuse allegations.
Lawrence served as Dean of Newcastle’s Anglican cathedral from 1984 until 2008 and was defrocked in 2012 following abuse allegations. He also gave evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2016.