Arabic version: هيو هيغي يتحدث علناً عن استدراجه في الطفولة
According to ABC News, former Northern Territory administrator Hugh Heggie has spoken publicly for the first time about being groomed by an older church youth group leader when he was 14. Now 76, the former doctor said the experience occurred more than 60 years ago in Victoria, where he grew up.
Mr Heggie said the youth group had felt like a safe place before the leader, a man in his 20s, offered him alcohol and suggested a trip to a drive-in cinema. He initially declined, but later went after asking his mother for permission. Mr Heggie said he pretended to drink when the man repeatedly offered alcohol because he realised the man was trying to intoxicate him.
Halfway through the film, Mr Heggie alleged the man put a hand on his leg. He said he got out of the car and told the man to take him home or he would walk. He never returned to the youth group and did not report the incident to police or tell his parents. He said the experience affected him for decades, including making him hypervigilant as a parent.
Mr Heggie, who was the NT’s chief health officer during the COVID pandemic, is now an ambassador for the National Survivors Foundation. Its chief executive, Clare Leaney, said accounts such as his could empower people to seek justice. NT Attorney General Marie-Clare Boothby said the government would work with national counterparts on a uniform approach to redress and liability, and encouraged victim-survivors to contact NT Police and access specialist advice and support. Mr Heggie said he hoped his story would help other survivors feel less alone and contribute to keeping future generations of children safe.
