Judge pays tribute to sex abuse survivors after ex-Newhaven College teacher Kirk Skinner’s death

A judge has acknowledged the “ongoing emotional impact” and harm caused to sexual abuse survivors of Phillip Island music teacher Kirk Skinner, who died before he could be sentenced.

Former Newhaven College director of music Kirk Skinner was facing jail time before he died. Picture: Facebook

A judge has paid tribute to sexual abuse survivors of a Phillip Island music teacher who died before he could be sentenced.

Former Newhaven College director of music Kirk Skinner was facing jail time after he pleaded guilty to sex offences against six victims during his time teaching at Caulfield Grammar in the 1980s, and the Phillip Island school in the 2010s.

But he died in January, aged 64, before he could be sentenced.

Criminal proceedings against Skinner were formally discontinued on Thursday in light of his death.

Kirk Skinner was found dead at a property in Seaford on January 23. Picture: Supplied

County Court Judge Daniel Holding acknowledged the harm Skinner had caused, and said his admission of guilt was on the public record.

“I’ve read the victim impact statements carefully and it’s apparent that the effects of the offending has had understandably traumatic impacts upon the victims,” he said.

“It caused ongoing emotional impact and an unwarranted sense of shame and humiliation.”

Quoting former Supreme Court Justice Frank Vincent AO, Judge Holding said the criminal justice process played an important role in the “social rehabilitation” of victims of crime.

“The imposition of a sentence often constitutes a practical and ritual completion of a protracted, painful period,” he said.

“It is an unfortunate consequence of the untimely death of Mr Skinner that you, the victims, will not have that ‘ritual completion of a protracted, painful period’.”

“Nevertheless, I hope that the fact that the pleas of guilty are on the record, and the court acknowledges the impact of these crimes were committed against you goes some way to deal with the impacts of the offending.”

Skinner last year pleaded guilty to sex offences against six victims. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Skinner last year pleaded guilty to sex offences against six victims while teaching at Caulfield Grammar and Newhaven College in crimes that spanned three decades.

Those crimes included the sexual penetration of a child and the intentional sexual touching of the genitals of boys, who were aged 16 to 18.

But he was found dead at a property in Seaford on January 23, before a pre-sentence hearing could take place.

His death followed months of delays to his criminal case after he was admitted to the ICU in November with “acute renal and cardiac failure”.

The court previously heard he required dialysis three times a week for his “pretty serious” medical condition.

Skinner’s confessions were kept secret by a gag order until the outcome of another case of alleged sex offending against a boy, 12, for which a jury found him not guilty in October.