David Justin Crisp sentenced to jail over the abuse of a child at Abergowrie Catholic College

A North Queensland teacher and boarding master accused of the sexual assault of a child has finally faced justice after fleeing the country 30 years ago, a court was told.

St Teresa's College, Abergowrie is an independent Catholic secondary day and boarding school for boys, located about 40 kilometres north west of Ingham. Picture: Townsville Catholic Education

A North Queensland teacher who fled the country after sexually abusing a boy in a boarding school dormitory has finally faced justice, after he was arrested on a 30-year-old warrant issued after he left Australia.

Remarkably, the detective who issued the warrant for David Justin Crisp in the 1990s faced him in Townsville District Court on Wednesday, putting an end to the decades-long case.

Crisp, a teacher and boarding master at Abergowrie Catholic College, sexually abused one student and two other sexual assault complaints were also made by two other boys, who are now deceased, the court was told.

When police began investigating the complaints Crisp fled the country and he was only arrested after returning to Australia to visit his sick mother in Toowoomba, about 30 years after then detective Alastair McDougall issued a warrant for his arrest.

The court was told Crisp – who is now aged 57 – sat at the end of a bed at Abergowrie Catholic College and rubbed a 15-year-old’s penis in the 1990s, causing injury to the student.

On the night of the assault he went into the open-planned dorm to tell a group of boys to stop talking and go to bed, crown prosecutor Nicole Butler said.

She said Crisp left, then came back with a torch and sat on the end of a boy’s bed before “tickling” his feet, and moving his hand up his leg until he was rubbing the boy’s penis over his pants.

Generic image. David Justin Crisp plead guilty to historical child sex abuse charges.

The dorm worker started “masturbating” the boy under his shorts.

Ms Butler told the court that the boy tried to roll over multiple times to stop Crisp, but he placed his hand on the boy’s chest to turn him on his back.

At one point, another teacher walked in and Crisp stopped and waited for them to leave until he continued to assault the boy, and began performing oral.

The boy said “what are you doing” to the man, who asked the student if he wanted him to continue, to which he said no.

Ms Butler said the boy immediately complained to a friend and went to the bathroom and noticed cuts and blood on his penis.

Other teachers and the deputy principal were told straight away and through investigations uncovered two more students who made similar complaints of Crisp – however, by the time of sentence, the crown said those two students had passed away and the charges were dismissed.

The court was told Crisp fled the country and lived in the United Kingdom for 30 years before his arrest in Queensland.

Ms Butler said he was originally going to trial, but changed his plea against a “strong crown case”.

Defence barrister Ross Malcomson instructed by Townsville Lawyers said his client had no criminal history in Australia or the United Kingdom and now looked after his elderly, sick mother and that an extended period in custody would impact her due to him helping with everyday needs.

Jude John Coker noted Crisp had “breached” his position of “trust and authority” as being a teacher at the school.

Crisp pleaded guilty to indecent treatment of a child in his care.

He was sentenced to two years jail, suspended after serving eight months for an operational period of three years. He showed no reaction throughout his sentence.

Barrister Alastair McDougall.

The now retired detective who investigated the case, Alastair McDougall, was in court on Wednesday to see justice finally be served.

He said he investigated allegations by the boy and issued an arrest warrant after he heard Crisp had fled the country to Vanuatu.

Mr McDougall went on to work for the National Crime Authority, Australian Crime Commission and later became a prominent barrister in Queensland before retiring last year.

“I was pretty shocked, I thought he would be gone forever,” Mr McDougall said of Crisp finally facing court.

“It was always in the back of my mind because it was one of the very few unresolved matters that I had as a detective.

“It’s satisfying to know that there is still one complainant out there that might get a sense of justice out of it.

“And it’s satisfying to see that the system works,” he said.

Originally published as David Justin Crisp sentenced to jail over the abuse of a child at Abergowrie Catholic College