Education department likened to Catholic Church for shifting accused teacher from school to school

Victoria’s education department has been likened to the Catholic Church for shifting a teacher from school to school, with 14 men now suing the government over his alleged sexual abuse.

Rosebud High in the 1980s, around the time Sutton was teaching at the school.

Fourteen men are suing the Victorian Government for alleged abuse by their teacher who was shuffled from public school to school, as the education department was likened to the Catholic Church for moving pedophile priests.

Drama teacher Peter Henry Sutton was moved from Rosebud High to Monterey High then Ballam Park Tech amid complaints to the education department and police about his sexualised behaviour towards male students in the 1980s.

The Victorian Government last month paid $700k compensation to one of Sutton’s alleged victims after he filed Supreme Court civil action, while this week 13 other men served fresh writs on the State and their ex-teacher.

Their lawyer Cameron Doig, from Arnold, Thomas & Becker, said the education department’s “failure to protect kids across three schools in the Sutton case” showed the need for a full-scale parliamentary inquiry into child sexual abuse in all government schools.

“After complaints (about Sutton) at Rosebud High School, the Department of Education could have easily prevented further abuse,” Mr Doig said.

“Instead, it did what the Catholic Church has done – it moved Sutton to Monterey High School and then Ballam Park Technical School as he continued (allegedly) abusing children.”

Peter Sutton was repeatedly moved to new schools after complaints. Picture: Supplied

Fourteen men are suing the Victorian government over Sutton’s alleged abuse.

The court action has prompted renewed calls for a child abuse inquiry probing teachers connected to Beaumaris Primary school to be broadened.

The inquiry will investigate abuse at 18 schools, but all must have a connection to Beaumaris Primary.

Victims advocates say the inquiry is not broad enough.

Sandringham MP Brad Rowswell has consistently called for a full scale parliamentary inquiry into allegations of child sexual abuse at government schools.

“Instead of dragging victim survivors through the uncertain and draining path of telling their story without any guarantee that they will be heard, I again call for Daniel Andrews to do the right thing and expand the Terms of Reference to include every Victorian Government school,” he said.

“The government has previously said: ‘we were always clear that if other similar situations come to light we are open to expanding the inquiry’. Well, it is now clear that similar crimes have allegedly been committed across the state – so why have the terms of reference for the Board of Inquiry not been expanded?”

Seven men have made claims against Sutton from Rosebud High, four from Monterey High, and three from Ballam Park.

Among allegations against Sutton are that he sexually assaulted young boys, took pictures of them into vulgar and erotic photo shoots, and performed hypnotisms on them, court documents show.

A man believed to be one of Sutton’s first alleged victims recalled how in 1980, his parents complained to Rosebud High and the education department after the teacher had him stay back after school for production rehearsal.

Instead of rehearsal, he alleges he was ordered to pose for pictures while wearing a G-string, with shaving cream on his face.

“The response from the department of education (at the time) was absolutely disgusting,” the now-55-year-old told the Herald Sun.

“They said his behaviour was assessed as ‘kinky, not criminal’.”

Sutton moved to Monterey High in 1981, where another student claimed he was also preyed upon during school productions and after class, when Sutton allegedly tried to hypnotise and abuse him.

The man, now 53, said he quit school and left Monterey in Year 9, feeling too “uncomfortable to be there”.

Six months later, he said he “tried to take myself out of the equation”, unscrewing the hinges off his mum’s medicine cabinet and taking everything inside, before screwing the cabinet back together and going to bed.

“Three days later, I woke up in Frankston hospital,” he said.

Sutton later retired from teaching with his long service leave paid out.

He has never faced criminal charges.

A spokesman for the Department of Education refused to be drawn on the current terms of inquiry.

“We encourage anyone who has experienced any form of abuse as a current or former student at a Victorian government school to report it to both the Department of Education and Victoria Police,” he said.

“We want perpetrators held to account and victims to be able to access the support they need and deserve.”

Sutton did not respond to the Herald Sun.