St Kevin’s College headmaster Stephen Russell resigns amid scandal

Scandals that have engulfed senior staff at prestigious Melbourne private school St Kevin’s College have forced the resignation of the headmaster.

The headmaster at St Kevin’s College has resigned after a damning report and several news stories about a culture of toxic masculinity at the prestigious Melbourne private school.

Four Corners journalist Louise Milligan helped break the story on Monday night that headmaster Stephen Russell wrote a glowing reference for child sex offender Peter Kehoe, who worked as dean of sport at the Toorak Catholic school.

She reported that during Kehoe’s trial, where he was accused of grooming a St Kevin’s College student, Mr Russell did not contact the victim, Paris Street.

After the show, Mr Russell expressed “sincere regret” for backing a colleague over a student.

“In the same circumstances today, I would not provide a reference,” he wrote in a statement to the ABC.

“Prior to his reprehensible actions in 2014, Mr Kehoe had no prior charges, or any student or parent complaint of a sexual misconduct nature. He had made a contribution over 35 years.”

But today, Mr Russell took that one step further by standing down.

In a resignation letter tweeted by Milligan, Mr Russell wrote: “In my time at St Kevin’s I have always tried to put the school before self and the students’ wellbeing at the very top of my list of priorities.

“I believe the current situation means that the best way to this is to resign.”

#StKevins Headmaster resignation letter: pic.twitter.com/uuZnGjND5A

— Louise Milligan (@Milliganreports) February 19, 2020

The Four Corners expose revealed a culture of cover-ups that reporters said involved parents of some students.

Reporter Lauren Day tweeted that she became the target for students and was threatened by one parent.

“While researching last night’s @4corners a #stkevinscollege father threatened to have a senior member of Victoria Police who he was mates with dig up dirt on me and a number of students made misogynistic comments about me in a closed FB group. Says a lot,” she wrote.

The most recent scandal follows months of bad press for the school after students were filmed chanting sexist lyrics on multiple occasions, including on a packed Melbourne tram surrounded by women and children.

St Kevin's students filmed on tram chanting sexist lyrics. Vision: ABC

As revealed on Four Corners, Kehoe — himself an old boy — groomed the student when he was in year nine, making lewd comments and sending revolting messages via social media before the police became involved.

The now-convicted child sex offender was sentenced to a community corrections order for one count of grooming a child under the age of 16. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for eight years.

The case was not made public at the time of Kehoe’s offending because the student was a juvenile.

But Mr Street, now 20, bravely aired chilling details of the abuse he suffered at school.

Four Corners reported that Kehoe trained with the teenager one-on-one and once told him he had an erection at training. Another time, when the boy told the coach he had an oral presentation due for Japanese class, Kehoe told him: “That’s not the only oral you’ll have to do”.

Stephen Russell has resigned as headmaster at St Kevin’s College.

“Love you muchly,” Kehoe said to the underage boy via Facebook messages.

“Maybe you needed another hug from me.

“Ah, the pain of unrequited love!

“I think you’re the best thing since sliced bread.

“Love you. Xxxxxxxx.”

The student told the ABC he had been drinking chocolate milk after training one day and Kehoe commented: “Oh, the sight of that dripping down your face”.

— with Sarah McPhee