Former boarder accuses Scotch College in Melbourne of ignoring warnings of abuse
One of the nation’s top private schools is being sued by a former student who claims it failed to act on multiple warnings about a teacher he alleges sexually abused him for years.
A former student, who was allegedly sexually abused by a boarding house staff member, has accused prestigious Melbourne boys’ school Scotch College of failing to protect him.
The teacher allegedly groomed the boy with special privileges before sexually abusing him in his boarding room and the teacher’s on-campus apartment between 2010 and 2014.
In a claim filed to the Supreme Court of Victoria, the former student alleges the school knew, or should have known, about the teacher’s predatory behaviour, yet failed to act despite warnings from staff, students, and the boy’s family.
The man was a teenage boarder at the Hawthorn school when the abuse allegedly occurred.
The teacher, who was employed by Scotch College as a boarding house activities director, allegedly targeted the student by singling him out for special treatment and attention.
Court documents allege the teacher groomed the boy by giving him privileges not available to other students, including taking him on outings to fast-food restaurants, inviting him to his on-campus apartment to watch television and eat lollies, and allowing him unsupervised access to school facilities such as the swimming pool outside normal hours.
The teacher also allegedly accompanied the boy on off-campus trips and acted as a supervising driver for his learner logbook. The abuse allegedly took place both in the boy’s boarding room and in the teacher’s apartment.
The lawsuit claims throughout this period, Scotch College was repeatedly alerted to concerns about the teacher’s conduct.
The school was allegedly advised of inappropriate behaviour towards the student, aware that the pair were frequently alone together, and knew of rumours and complaints circulating among staff and students about the teacher’s closeness to certain boarders.
In 2012, one staff member reportedly warned the student that the teacher was “too close” and advised him not to enter the teacher’s apartment. That same year, the boy’s grandfather raised concerns with the school about the teacher’s relationship with his grandson.
Two years later, in 2014, another student is said to have reported witnessing the teacher touch or be uncomfortably close to the plaintiff during a school camp. Despite these multiple warnings, the teacher remained employed.
Scotch College has been accused of breaching its duty of care to the student in numerous ways, including by failing to adequately supervise boarders, to respond to complaints of inappropriate behaviour, or to investigate concerns about the teacher’s conduct.
The school is further accused of failing to have proper systems in place for reporting and investigating allegations of misconduct, and for allowing the teacher to spend extended periods alone with the student, both on and off school grounds.
The plaintiff alleges that Scotch College failed to report the teacher to Victoria Police, the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT), or the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) – all mandatory channels for suspected child abuse or misconduct involving a teacher.
The statement of claim argues the abuse, and its long-term impact on the former student, were the direct result of Scotch College’s systemic failure to protect him.
The matter is listed for trial on November 18.
“The current leadership of Scotch College are deeply committed to ensuring the robust child safeguarding policies and frameworks in place today are enforced with zero tolerance,” a spokesman for Scotch College said.
“As this matter is currently before the courts, we are unable to provide further comment at this time.”
Originally published as Former boarder accuses Scotch College in Melbourne of ignoring warnings of abuse
