Retracing the steps of Mark Dennis, 'brilliant' barrister with a dark side
The ABC travelled to Cambodia to reveal the inside story of how former top silk turned accused paedophile Mark Dennis accumulated power within a celebrated charity and gained access to vulnerable children.
Chad Loxsom, a builder from Sydney's inner west, had an uneasy feeling about the small terrace house belonging to Mark Dennis SC, a criminal defence barrister. Upon entering the house, Loxsom noticed dozens of pictures of Dennis with young children, some of which showed him hugging shirtless children. This, along with a doormat and a large mirror in his home, alarmed Loxsom, leading him to report the situation to the child protection hotline.
Dennis had a reputation for sexual harassment and aggressive behavior towards women. In 2012, he was banned from the Aboriginal Legal Service's Christmas parties after lunging at a woman with an open fist. Despite these incidents, Dennis was known for his ambition and love for drinking. He began hosting legal conferences in 2011 to raise funds for his charity, Reasonable Cause, which aimed to help disadvantaged young Cambodians.
The largest recipient of Dennis's fundraising was Sunrise Cambodia, a high-profile children's charity founded by Geraldine Cox. However, former staff members revealed that Dennis sexually harassed a former staff member and made teenage girls uncomfortable with excessive touching. Despite these allegations, the charity defended its child protection policies, stating that the children always came first.
Dennis's death did not end the police investigation, as Operation Queenstown continues to probe his network and links to Sunrise Cambodia.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
