Knox Grammar kept quiet for weeks about students’ secret hate chat room

Knox Grammar School knew about the chat room set up by students to swap graphic child sex abuse material and vile messages — but kept the scandal secret for weeks.

A secret chat room set up by students from elite Knox Grammar School and used to swap graphic child sex abuse material, as well as racist, misogynistic and homophobic messages, had more than 150 participants — and the school kept the scandal secret from the broader Knox community for weeks.

It can also be revealed NSW Police are now investigating an alleged assault at another elite school, which is believed to be linked to an initiation rite or a dare.

The revelations about the Knox Grammar students and their chat group called Gang Gang emerged on Wednesday, but The Telegraph has confirmed the school knew about the vile material a month earlier.

It was roughly two hours after The Telegraph approached Knox with questions on Wednesday that headmaster Scott James sent a letter to parents telling them about the scandal.

When he did divulge the issue to parents he referred to it as an “incident involving several boys” but there was actually more than 150 people in the invite-only chat group — the majority from the Knox community — who swapped sexually violent imagery and racist and homophobic material.

The Telegraph has confirmed Knox Grammar School, at Wahroonga, knew about the Gang Gang chat weeks before letting the school community know.

Mr James also told parents in the letter that police had been consulted.

However NSW Police sources confirmed that officers did not have any knowledge of the full tranche of material until the The Telegraph gave it to them on Tuesday. This was despite the school being in possession of it since late July.

The school refused The Telegraph’s request to interview Mr James or answer any questions about when they reported the matter to police.

“The actions of these boys do not reflect a Knox education,” Mr James wrote in the letter.

“There has been a range of consequences for the students involved, based on the extent of their participation — from suspension to students leaving the school.”

The Gang Gang chat group on the messaging app Discord included horrific videos and images, along with comments like “WHY WAS I NOT INVITED TO THE GANG RAPE PARTY”.

A video of a boy handling ­ammunition was shared on the chat.

Since publishing the story, The Telegraph has received a number of emails and calls from parents who said they had withdrawn their children from the school because of the “toxic” nature and environment of the school.

One said: “My son was bullied because he was not a sports star or a genius, and if you are not either of those you are very much made to feel like an outsider by the kids and the staff alike.”

Two other parents had similar stories, saying their children developed medical issues and were victims of bullying at the school. When they raised the issue they said they were pressured into leaving.

“The victims are persecuted and the perpetrators get away unscathed,’’ said one mother.

Another mother was even more scathing.

“Thank you for calling out the toxic culture at Knox Grammar. My son was a student there from … and his experiences there have shaped his mental health issues,” she said.

“He experienced bullying from students which were overlooked by staff … they don’t care for the children who aren’t A grade in class and on the field.

“$36,000/a year for four years left us with a dysfunctional child who we’re just grateful is alive.”

The parents asked not to have their names printed for the sake of their children.

Knox Grammar headmaster Scott James and the letter he sent to parents after The Daily Telegraph contacted him about the Gang Gang chat.

Police sources said one issue from the Gang Gang chat room that was referred to them by the school was a video of a boy handling ammunition.

“It was investigated and established the ammunition belonged to a father of a student who was a licensed firearm owner and on a private property and no offence was committed,’’ the source said.

The Telegraph, concerned at the graphic nature of the videos, posts and information in the Gang Gang chat group, took the content to Child Abuse and Sex Crimes unit of NSW Police.

While the police review of the material is ongoing, it is believed that they found nothing that constituted a crime.

The Telegraph has been told police are investigating an alleged assault at a different elite school in Sydney.