Former Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson was spared the torments of jail time when the Newcastle Court Magistrate Robert Stone allowed the 67-year-old to serve his detention at home. Wilson is the oldest cleric to be convicted of concealing child sex abuse.
Prison authorities who assessed Wilson said he suffered from a range of health issues, including heart disease, faced by former archbishop.
Wilson was ordered to begin serving his detention on Tuesday in New South Wales state and would be eligible for parole in February 2019, the court said, without disclosing the address of where he would be held.
Australian Broadcasting Corp. Television showed Wilson being driven away from the court in Newcastle, about 170 km (105 miles) north of Sydney. It said he would be staying at his sister’s house.
Wilson has said he planned to appeal against his conviction for failing to disclose to police abuse by a priest, Father James Fletcher, after being told about it in 1976 by two victims.
Wilson resigned as archbishop of Adelaide in July, two months after being convicted. He wanted to hold on to the position until he completed his appeal but came under pressure from Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, fellow clerics and abuse victims to quit.