‘A generic apology is not enough’: School abuse survivor sues teacher and state government
A woman who was sexually abused by her science teacher in high school is suing her abuser and the state government, saying “a generic apology is not enough”. HER STORY >>
Tasmania
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A WOMAN who was sexually abused by her science teacher in Grade 9 after “months of slow and steady grooming” is now taking civil action against her abuser and the state government that employed him.
In October last year, former Rose Bay High School teacher Marcus James Pollard was jailed for three years after pleading guilty to the persistent sexual abuse of a young person in the 1990s.
Pollard was about 41, and his victim aged about 15, when he started grooming her before abusing her in the school photography darkroom, on a camping trip and at his home.
Now, the survivor of that abuse – Katrina Munting – wants to take her power back, sending a clear message that “a generic apology is just not enough”.
According to documents lodged in the Supreme Court of Tasmania on Thursday, Mrs Munting is suing for damages caused by negligence, assault and battery that occurred between 1998 and 1999.
She said Pollard abused and sexually assaulted her on repeated occasions after “arranging clandestine meetings” with her, paying her special attention before abusing her.
After she tried to end the contact with Pollard, Mrs Munting said he displayed “retribution and vengeful behaviour” at school, calling her a bitch, throwing objects towards her in class, and marking her down on her science assessment.
No defences have yet been filed to the claim.
“The Department of Education...has not been accountable for the role it played in these events,” Mrs Munting said.
“I shouldn’t need to be standing here. The school system should have protected me. The Department of Education failed me terribly.
“Institutions have been, and unfortunately some still are, quick to turn a blind eye to inconvenient suspicion, sweep information under the carpet, and protect the perpetrators rather than support victims. It has to stop.”
Pollard will be eligible to apply for parole in April 2022.
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Originally published as ‘A generic apology is not enough’: School abuse survivor sues teacher and state government
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