An Anglican Church official who blew the whistle on sex abuse cover-ups in a NSW diocese had to move house several time because of repeated attacks by vandals.  Michael Elliott, director of the professional standards board in the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle, said on Thursday spiked objects had been placed under his car, fly screens removed from his children's bedrooms and his dog had gone missing.  A former policeman, he gave evidence to a royal commission on Thursday there was a move within the diocese to undermine the professional standards body as soon as it began investigating sexual abuse allegations against four clerics and a teacher.  He told Naomi Sharp, counsel assisting the commission, he moved house several times because of the acts of vandalism.  "During one particular period there were pot plants that were tipped over at my house when I was at work and washing pulled from the clothesline and strewn around the yard."  His car was vandalised about 20 times and he had received "harassing telephone calls and texts".  Mr Elliott said he had no doubt "they're linked to my work within the diocese".  Earlier on Thursday he gave evidence of a move within the diocese to curtail the power of the standards board once it started investigating complaints that abuse survivor CKH had been groomed for sex by priest Andrew Duncan in 1980 and subsequently had sexual encounters with Graeme Lawrence - who later became Dean of Newcastle Cathedral - and priests Bruce Hoare and Graeme Sturt.  Duncan, Lawrence and Hoare were eventually defrocked on the recommendations of the board and Sturt, who CKH said had watched as he had sex with Lawrence and Hoare, was banned from practising as a priest for five years.
A man whose car and home have been repeatedly attacked by vandals is sure the incidents stem from his work investigating child sex abuse in Newcastle.