Geelong school sex abuse victim fights for more compensation

A student abused on more than 90 occasions at a Geelong school in the 1970s is taking the Christian Brothers back to court for more damages.

The Christian Brothers are facing another major compensation payout over the abuse of a student at St Joseph's College in the 1970s. Picture: Ferguson Glenn

The Christian Brothers are facing another multimillion-dollar compensation payout after a student was abused at one school on more than 90 occasions in the 1970s.

A former student at St Joseph’s College in Geelong is seeking more than $2.5m in damages for the abuse he suffered at the hands of notorious paedophile teacher John Coogan.

The Catholic Church paid the man $25,000 in 1997, but new legal avenues have now cleared the way for significantly higher payments through the courts.

Coogan, a PE teacher and sports coach, was convicted of 17 counts of indecent assault and jailed for five years in 1994. In the Royal Commission into institutional abuse it was alleged that the school knew he was molesting children but kept him on staff anyway.

The man, who does not wish to be identified, is being supported by child sex abuse campaigner Michael Advocate for his action in the County Court.

Secondary victims’ rights were recognised by the courts in a civil judgment concerning Cardinal George Pell. Picture: Getty Images

Mr Advocate – a pseudonym – said the victim’s mother and wife were also considering taking legal action for nervous shock, after only learning about the abuse in the 1990s.

Secondary victims’ rights were established following a civil judgment concerning Cardinal George Pell.

The man was abused by Coogan when he was in grades 4 and 5 on about 40 occasions and up to 30 occasions when he was in grade 6.

The teacher would force the boy into his room at lunchtime and sit him on his lap, forcing him to touch his erect penis.

In a victim impact statement, the man said there was “always another victim waiting outside the office, and there seemed to be a pattern of the victim sitting on the paedophile’s lap, Mr Coogan pleasuring himself, then the victim leaving and the next victim coming in”.

The victim made a complaint to Victoria Police in 1993, leading to Coogan being charged and jailed.

An abuse victim was recently awarded an extra $1.94m after launching civil action against Archbishop Peter Comensoli as the head of the Melbourne Archdiocese of the Catholic Church.

The man is now claiming injury, loss and damage, arguing that the abuse continues to impact on his life, along with loss of earnings and superannuation.

Mr Advocate said it was “just appalling how little victims were compensated in the past, due to their weak legal position”.

“Thankfully, with two recent Victorian Court decisions, victims can now reapply to get their compensation fairly reassessed,” he said.

“So, $25,000 compensated in 1997 is now likely to be worth $2m to $2.8m,” Mr Advocate said.

It comes after the June 2022 Supreme Court judgment of O’Connor v Comensoli, in which a victim was awarded an additional $1.94m on top of the $139,000 they had previously received.

“George Pell and co thought they were so clever in paying victims such low, insulting amounts of between $50,000 to $100,000 when victims had such a poor legal standing prior to 2015,” Mr Advocate said.

“Now, every victim who previously settled with any institutions is a very strong position to get proper, meaningful compensation”.

The Christian Brothers Oceania Province said the matter was “before the Courts and out of respect for that process, the Christian Brothers are unable to comment publicly at this time”.