School threatens ‘severe punishment’ to boys who reported abuse by convicted pedophile counsellor

UPDATE: The man who blew the whistle on serial pedophile Kevin Lynch said it: “It hit me like a bomb that I must go to police”. WARNING: Disturbing content

THE MAN who blew the whistle on serial pedophile Kevin Lynch said it: “It hit me like a bomb that I must go to police”.

The former St Paul’s School student went to police and wore a wire to get evidence against him.

Police later arrested Lynch in 1997 on nine counts of sexual abuse. The school counsellor killed himself the next day.

But the former student, known as BSE, then faced a battle against the school when he took legal action against them for what happened.

LAWYER’S ANGER: ‘Your’re delusional and a disgrace’

BSE told the story of how he brought down Lynch to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses into Child Sexual Abuse this afternoon.

BSE, now 37, described himself as a disruptive and disobedient student who was often in detention.

It was for this he was sent to the school counsellor, Lynch, who groomed him over time and sexually abused him.

“It was a progression of brainwashing and manipulation. He talked about everything and anything and it was all sexualised,” he said.

“I saw a handheld video camera in Lynch’s office on regular occasions when Lynch was molesting me.

“It was too embarrassing to tell anyone.”

It was five years after the abuse, when BSE was 19, that he had an epiphany while sanding furniture for work.

“It came out of nowhere and it hit me like a bomb that I must go to police.”

BSE said he told his father what happened to him, who replied, “we’ll get this bastard”.

He went to police who arranged for him to see Lynch and wear a wire.

Lynch invited him to his home where BSE asked him “why did you touch me like that”, the Commission heard.

He said Lynch told him “I could get seven years for that”.

BSE told the commission Lynch received a phone call during this meeting and that the counsellor said it was from St Paul’s then-principal Gilbert Case checking up to make sure he hadn’t been “beaten up”.

He said he went back on a second occasion with the wire to get more evidence against him but police told him it was still not enough to arrest Lynch.

“I was shocked and angry and asked what else was needed,” he said.

BSE said he went home and dug up nine slips of paper which recorded his appointments with Lynch, which police told him was enough to show he had been with the counsellor that day.

Lynch was arrested and charged, but committed suicide shortly afterwards.

“I was never offered counselling by police. I was not aware of anyone else coming forward about Lynch abusing them until 12 months later,” BSE said.

“St Paul’s never contacted me about the matter.”

BSE told the commission he wanted a “criminal investigation” into Gilbert Case’s involvement in the matter.

Mr Case has denied he was informed by students of Lynch’s abuse and is expected to appear before the commission later in the week.

ABUSE VICTIMS SHUT OUT OF SCHOOL

Sexual assault victims gather outside Brisbane Grammar School.

FORMER Brisbane Grammar students sexually abused in the 1970s and 80s by pedophile counsellor Kevin Lynch returned to the school today to call for reparations for what happened to them.

About eight of Lynch’s victims met at the school with a list of requests to deliver but were turned back at the gates by security and were not allowed to pass on the document.

Instead they left it at the threshold of the school and peacefully walked away.

It happened while the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses into Child Sexual Abuse is sitting in Brisbane.

The requests included that the school admit liability for what happened to them while at the school and to have counselling paid for.

They also wanted the MA Howell Indoor Sports centre, named after the principal who was in charge at the time the abuses took place, be renamed the Nigel Parodi Indoor Sports Centre.

Mr Parodi was a victim of Lynch who in 2000 shot three police and later killed himself, but this led to Lynch’s crimes being uncovered.

A former Grammar student and victim of Lynch said they wanted the name to honour Parodi for outing the pedophile.

“If it wasn’t for Nigel Parodi most of us would still be living with the trauma,” he said.

The former students also called for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to meet with them on Friday to discuss removing the statute of limitations on victims of child sexual abuse seeking compensation.

The Commission has heard numerous students and at least one parent complained to then-principal Max Howell about Lynch’s behaviour.

Mr Howell, who died in 2011, has repeatedly denied this.

BOY TELLS OF SHOCKING ABUSE ORDEAL

PARALYSING drugs and hypodermic needles were used by pedophile school counsellor Kevin Lynch to sexually abuse a student over five hours, a Royal Commission has heard.

The former student, known as BRC and now aged 33, said he wants the commission to take action against the school’s principal at the time for ignoring complaints about the abuse.

The then-principal Gilbert Case has denied he was told about the abuse.

BRC said in 1996, when he was in year 9, Lynch was playing a “relaxation tape” during a session of counselling with him at St Paul’s School.

He told the Commission Lynch then sprayed a strange substance into his mouth.

“Instantly I felt an overwhelming muscular paralysis,” he said.

BRC said Lynch played the tape over and over while massaging him and soon began undressing him.

“I said words to the effect, ‘what do you think you’re doing, please don’t’,” BRC told the Royal Commission.

Former St. Paul's School Student Counsellor Kevin Lynch.

Lynch responded that it was “all right”, BRC said.

“Lynch then injected a hypodermic needle into the side of my penis. He gave me two such injections,” he said.

“I remained in a semi-paralysed state... effectively unable to move.”

He said Lynch repeatedly and painfully masturbated him and the whole session lasted five hours.

BRC told the Commission he spoke to another student who was being abused, known as BSB, and they went to Mr Case to report what had happened.

He said Mr Case called Lynch and put the allegations to him but it was clear they had been denied.

“Case made it very clear that in his opinion BSB and I were lying,” he said.

“I was worried about what Case would do if I told anyone else about the abuse.”

BRC told the Commission he wanted action to be taken against the former principal and others.

“I would like for the Royal Commission to ensure that Case, the (Anglican) diocese and others in the chain of command and denial are held responsible for their actions and cruel avoidance of their responsibilities to children entrusted to their care,” he said.

He also called for the buildings where abuses took place to be torn down.

Mr Case’s barrister Jeff Hunter QC put to BRC that he never reported the abuse to his client.

BRC said that he did.

St Paul's Anglican School, Bald Hills.

EARLIER: School’s threat to abused

PEDOPHILE counsellor Kevin Lynch showed a 12-year-old boy black and white pictures of penises and compared them to those of other students, a Royal Commission heard.

A student, known as BSB, said he was in grade six at St Paul’s School, Bald Hills, when Lynch started grooming him and later began sexually abusing him during counselling sessions.

During one of these session Lynch showed BSB a series of pictures of boys penises, telling him which ones looked like the genitalia of other students at the school.

BSB said spoke to one of the other students, BRC.

They confronted Lynch who denied the allegations which caused BRC to tip over a desk “in a fit of rage”, the Commission heard.

The two students decided to tell the principal Gilbert Case that the counsellor was spreading personal details.

“Look, I can’t see these things happening at St Paul’s,” BSB said Mr Case told him.

BSB said Lynch was called into the office and denied the allegations.

He said Mr Case called them liars.

“He told us that if he heard about this again, then the two of us could expect to hear severely punished,” BSB said.

Later, when they reported to Mr Case they were being sexually abused by Lynch, BSB said they were once again threatened.

“He warned us of the punishment that could be handed down to us if we were to raise the allegations again,” BSB told the Commission.

“Case’s manner of addressing us left me in no doubt he was threatening BRC and I and I definitely took it as such.”

Mr Case has denied that student approached him with complaints of abuse.

He is expected to testify later in the week.