Paedophile and former teacher Stephen John Hamra jailed for 12 years sexual abuse of two brothers

He survived sexual abuse at the hands of a family friend, six years of court proceedings and 40 years of pain, all in silence. Now, as his tormentor was jailed for 12 years, Greg Trembath speaks out.

Greg Trembath, who was abused by paedophile Stephen Hamra, has waived his right to anonymity.

• Hamra’s first victim: ‘My childhood was destroyed’
• How Hamra challenged attempts to toughen SA’s child sex laws
• Judgement Day: Hamra found guilty of sexually abusing brothers
• Paedophile former teacher pleads for mercy ahead of sentencing

He survived sexual abuse at the hands of a family friend, six years of torturous court proceedings and 40 years of pain, all in silence.

On Thursday, Greg Trembath spoke out publicly for the first time after watching his tormentor — paedophile and former teacher Stephen Hamra — begin his 12-year prison term.

He chose to waive his anonymity to remind the community that survivors carried no blame for their suffering, and to encourage others to come forward.

“When that (sentence) was handed down today, an eight-year-old boy was there — a scared eight-year-old was there … I might be 48 but I was still just as scared,” he said.

“I feel there’s a lot of shame that goes with what’s occurred to us and to many other people.

“However I do feel that it may give people strength and understanding that you can come through this and become a survivor.

“But realistically, it’s a hard journey (so) I hope people who’ve been through this, but can’t come forward, will get some sort of peace from this.”

On Thursday, the District Court brought Hamra’s long legal saga to an end, ordering he serve at least nine years and seven months before being eligible for parole.

Hamra faced two trials, each under a different set of legislation. Picture: Greg Higgs.

In sentencing, Judge Paul Rice noted Hamra had successfully challenged the state’s paedophile laws, meaning one set of his crimes would be punished more leniently than the other.

However, he said that in no way reduced the profound, ongoing and life-destroying impact his criminal conduct had upon Mr Trembath and his brother.

“There can be no doubt that these are serious offences … a family trusted you, and you preyed upon two of their boys,” he said.

“This was a gross breach of trust … they welcomed you into the family and you repaid their friendship by abusing two of their sons.”

Hamra, 63, committed his crimes against the brothers between 1977 and 1982, both before and during his employment at St Ignatius College.

Neither boy studied at the school, nor did they attend Christian Brothers College, where Hamra worked from 2007 until his arrest in 2010.

He was their in-home tutor and came to be a surrogate part of their family, attending holidays away and being left alone with the boys in their bedrooms.

Hamra stood two separate trials under two separate sets of legislation — he was first found guilty, by a jury, of persistently sexually exploiting Mr Trembath.

That prompted him to challenge the law, arguing he should be sentenced on the basis “most favourable to him”, meaning for the least-serious of his sexual abuses.

Stephen John Hamra outside the District Court during one of his two trials. Picture: Greg Higgs.

He succeeded, and his second trial — for offending against Mr Trembath’s brother — proceeded under amended laws, and he was found guilty of maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child.

On Thursday, Judge Rice said that allowed him to treat the crimes against Mr Trembath’s brother as being “at the upper end of the scale of seriousness” and sentence accordingly.

He said those offences represented a “much broader, more detailed and extended period” of illegal sexual acts, and had destroyed the young man’s life.

“Mr Trembath spent much of his victim impact statement talking about the adverse effects of your conduct upon his brother,” he said.

“He said ‘it’s the loss of human potential that disturbs me the most’ (while the brother) said ‘I could have been anything if I had not been the victim of these crimes’.

Hamra, centre, still has the support of his family, who complained about his penalty after the sentencing.

“Their mother feels betrayal, but also immense guilt … she believed she was providing a safe and nurturing environment for her children.

“Little did she know you were covertly undermining her beliefs.”

Judge Rice said Hamra had shown neither contrition nor remorse, and therefore did not qualify for a sentencing discount.

He also noted he qualified, under state law, as a serious repeat offender — earning him a harsher-than-normal, longer non-parole period.

Outside court, members of Hamra’s family — who continue to support him — complained about his penalty, saying it was more severe than “some manslaughter sentences”.

Mr Trembath said Hamra’s lack of remorse was no surprise.

Greg Trembath has bravely spoken out after Hamra was jailed for at least nine years and seven months.

“I think anyone who’s had anything to do with any legal matters knows it’s unlikely he will ever show any of those things,” he said.

“That would require him admitting he did something wrong.

“It’s a little bit sad, but what do you do? He’s going to protest his innocence to the ends of the earth.”

He described Hamra as “a chameleon” who used his position and credentials as a way of “remaining close to children” and “keeping better hidden”.

“I actually have nothing to say to him … if he was on fire, I wouldn’t pick up a can of petrol and throw it on him but I wouldn’t put him out, either,” he said.

Mr Trembath welcomed the sentence, but said he wished it had been lengthier.

“I live with this every day, I’ve had to live with this for 40 years, I have a life sentence,” he said.

“Is justice served in 12 years? I say no.

“He forfeited his rights when he preyed on children … when it comes time for his parole, I will be there to argue he should remain in jail.”

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