Blackfriars Priory School sued for $1.5 million by SA man over alleged rape by ex-teacher Stephen Stockdale-Hall

A top private school is facing yet another lawsuit over alleged child sex abuse, accused of letting an offender have unsupervised contact with its students.

A top private school is being sued by yet another student, alleging it allowed a known sex predator on its grounds – where he committed acts of abuse – even after firing him as a teacher.

A former Blackfriars student is suing the school for $1.5 million, alleging its negligence allowed Stephen Stockdale-Hall to spike his drink and later rape him in the toilets.

In his District Court papers, he names five former teachers who “frequently warned” students about Stockdale-Hall, showing his crimes were “widely known throughout” the faculty.

One of Stockdale-Hall’s neighbours, he alleges, called the school “raising concerns” that its students were “frequently seen” at his home and “would usually spend the night there”.

Stockdale-Hall has served prison time for abusing 10 children in the 1970s and 1980s – in 2004, Blackfriars set up a phone hotline for students to call in and report his past actions.

Convicted pedophile and former Blackfriars teacher Stephen Stockdale-Hall outside the District Court.

“Blackfriars failed to prevent the risk to (our client) despite having knowledge of similar offences committed by Stockdale-Hall in 1979,” the claim alleges.

“His employment was mutually terminated after he was caught watching and taking photographs of students whilst showering at the school.

“The school never reported the conduct of Stockdale-Hall to SA Police despite having knowledge of his inappropriate relationships with students.

“It was fully aware of his propensity to engage in sexualised contact with students, and failed to take any or any adequate steps to prevent such conduct continuing.”

Blackfriars Priory School on Prospect Rd. Picture: Keryn Stevens

The case is the fourth filed, in the past 18 months, against Blackfriars over alleged negligence.

In the first case, a man alleges he was assaulted by former principal and Catholic priest, Father Martin Wallace, who declined to comment on the allegations.

He further claims the school compiled “almost 100 documents” about the alleged sexual abuse “of multiple students” during a “22-year cover-up”.

In the second case, another man alleges he was assaulted by Joseph William Weygood, who stood trial accused of child sex offending and was acquitted.

That man further alleges Father Wallace punished him for reporting it, saying “don’t you ever say no to a teacher again”.

In the third case, another man alleges Blackfriars knew of the actions of convicted serial pedophile Ronald William Hopkins four years before he, too, was abused.

Blackfriars has denied each of the claims and denounced the accusations of a cover-up as “totally untrue”.

Stockdale-Hall was sentenced for child sex offending committed in the 1970s and 1980s.

In the newest case, the man alleges he was 11 years old when Stockdale-Hall sexually assaulted him on Blackfriars’ grounds.

“Stockdale-Hall approached him and offered him a lemonade … after consuming the lemonade, (the man) felt drowsy,” the claim alleges.

“Stockdale-Hall had spiked (the man’s) drink with an unknown substance at a time when there were no other staff members on campus.

“On another occasion, Stockdale-Hall took (the man) into a toilet block (and) raped him.”

The man says Stockdale-Hall would “attend the school early most mornings to associate with young boys”.

“As he was not an employee, he had no reason to be at the school unsupervised out of school hours,” the claim alleges.

“Blackfriars was aware he would attend the school on a regular basis … it is vicariously liable for his conduct (and) was negligent.”

Blackfriars has yet to file defence papers to the claim.