The fence's presence or otherwise has emerged as a key element of evidence that is in dispute in Mr Lawrence's trial.

The complainant, who cannot be identified, has testified that he and Mr Lawrence passed through a fence gate when they walked from the Cathedral to the Deanery on the night he was allegedly assaulted in 1991.

Mr Lawrence, then the second-most senior Anglican in the Newcastle diocese, has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent and one of indecent assault.

Mr Lawrence and his partner Greg Goyette have maintained there was not a fence in place from the time they moved into the Deanery in 1984 up to the time that earthquake repairs were done at the Deanery in 1991.

After cross-examining Mr Goyette about his memory of a fence in Newcastle District Court on Friday, Crown prosecutor Craig Leggat, SC, produced church warden's reports from 1993 and 1994 that made specific reference to repairs being needed to a "rear fence opposite the Cathedral".

Mr Leggat suggested to Mr Goyette that he had been either mistaken in his recollection that there was no fence or that he was attempting to give evidence that would assist Mr Lawrence.

Mr Goyette conceded that he only had a "vague recollection" of the period of time in question and that he was unable to say when the fence was erected.

"I'm not sure when the fence was put there. It certainly wasn't until after the earthquake repairs," he said.

Former Newcastle Grammar School headmaster Alan Green, who worked at the school between 1989 and 2014, previously testified that the fence that currently stood on the site was taller than the one he recalled being there in the early 1990s.

Mr Goyette was also cross-examined about his recollection of whether there were pictures of naked boys on the walls of a room where Mr Lawrence is alleged to have assaulted the complainant.

"The truth is there were no pictures on the wall," he told the court.

The Crown and defence will sum up on Monday.