Child porn and ‘graphic’ images allegedly shared in elite college group chat

A Snapchat group understood to include up to students from Brisbane Boys College allegedly shared horrific and graphic images of child porn, rape and dead people.

Brisbane Boys College in Toowong. Pic: Tara Croser.

A parent has revealed shock new details of content shared to a group chat by students from Brisbane Boys’ College including alleged child pornography and “very graphic” images of a dead person.

The Snapchat group is understood to have included up to 40 students, with a parent whose child attends the elite school claiming it first became aware of the incident on May 16 before contacting them four days later.

BBC Headmaster Andre Casson said in a letter sent to the BBC community on Friday the school had only been made aware of the incident “earlier this week”.

But a Queensland Police Service spokesman confirmed a report had not been made until May 22 in relation to “inappropriate images being shared on an online platform”.

“Detectives from the Inner West Child Protection Investigation Unit are investigating the matter. Anyone with information is urged to contact police,” the QPS spokesman said.

The parent, whose child was not in the group chat himself, said his friend was added and saw the content before immediately leaving the chat.

“He thought it was a school group chat, so he accepted the invitation and was in and once he got in there, he saw what the content was, and was shocked and promptly left,” they said.

In text a number of text messages sent to his parent and seen by The Sunday Mail, the student said his friend was invited to a “messed up gc (group chat)” with things like horrific “gore rape of a child and other terrible things.”

“Please don’t reach out to their parents because they will know it’s me who told you and I’ll probably get beat up,” he said to his parent.

Their son said he was “not comfortable being near people who did that.”

The parent said they believe the material was “very graphic” and “the worst of the worst”, featuring a pre-pubescent girl allegedly getting “sadistically exploited and burned” and “very graphic” imagery of a dead person.

“ … my understanding is that he saw the kind of level of child exploitation material that is illegal for anyone, not just like adult pornography,” the parent said.

In a letter sent out to the BBC community on Friday, Headmaster Andre Casson said the school had been contacted by parents regarding a Snapchat group created and managed by students in Year 10.

“These parents were concerned about inappropriate and troubling material they believed was being posted in this group. The College immediately commenced a fact-finding process looking into these concerns, during which we spoke with several students and their families.”

Mr Casson said during these discussions the College was made aware that some of the content shared in the group was “allegedly serious and potentially illegal”.

“Upon discovering this, we immediately reported the matter to the police,” he said in the letter.

The parent told The Sunday Mail they felt the letter sent out “did not allude to the gravity and depravity of what was in that chat.”

The parent said they understood those responsible for sharing the images were still in school this week after the group chat was made.

“The people that were the ringleaders, it’s my understanding they’re still enrolled and have continued to attend school up until May 23 with no indication that they have been suspended,” they said.

“The course of action I would have expected from the school, given the seriousness of the allegations, would have been to immediately hand the issue over to QPS and suspend the alleged perpetrators immediately pending QPS’ investigation.

The parent said they understood all students in the group chat were in year 10 at BBC.

“How did these kids even get access to this material?,” they said.

“In my mind, by the time you’re 15 or 16, you know how serious it is that’s why the criminal age is 14 … how have these kids got to the age of 15 and 16, and thought that that’s funny.”

The parent said they didn’t feel the seriousness of images described to them by their son were reflected in the tone of the letter.

“This is not just a normal other ‘Oh, yeah, boys will be boys,’ it’s not that,” they said.

“Apparently, they were sending death threats to other kids perceived to be ‘snitches’ on the school’s internal communications system,” they said.

The parent said they understood the perpetrators had a history of behavioural issues.

A BBC spokesman said the matter was subject to a police investigation and the College would not make further comment.

Originally published as Child porn and ‘graphic’ images allegedly shared in elite college group chat