By Lucy Carroll and Jessica McSweeney
A long-serving teacher at private school Cranbrook is facing court accused of wearing a disguise while trespassing on his neighbour’s eastern suburbs property.
Scott Davis, senior head of house and staff mentor at the Bellevue Hill boys’ school, has been charged with entering “inclosed land not prescribed premises without lawful excuse” and with having his “face blackened/disguised” with intent to commit malicious damage.
In a statement, police said officers at Eastern Beaches Police Area Command were called to a Coogee home in the afternoon of February 19 following reports of an alleged trespassing.
Cranbrook School in Bellevue Hill.Credit: Rhett Wyman
“Police spoke to a 64-year-old man before he was released while police continued their investigation,” a police spokesperson said.
“Following inquiries, on Tuesday 22 April the man was charged with entering enclosed land not prescribed premises without lawful excuse, and face blackened/disguised with intent to commit indictable offence.”
Sources with knowledge of the incident say CCTV footage in the area shows a man, whom police allege is Davis, with sheer pantyhose over his face and entering into neighbouring properties.
In a statement to the Herald, a Randwick City Council spokesperson confirmed the council had received correspondence regarding alleged tree vandalism in the area.
The matter was mentioned briefly at Waverley Local Court on June 4. Davis’ solicitor asked for the matter to be adjourned until July 14 to pursue a section 14 application, which seeks for the charges to be dealt with on mental health grounds.
Davis is listed on Cranbrook’s website as head of Strickland, one of the school’s 14 houses, and has served on staff for three decades. A recent edition of the school’s bi-annual magazine, titled Esse Quam Videri, outlines his role in establishing Cranbrook’s teacher mentoring program to give guidance and support to novice teachers.
“My focus for mentoring is the development of sound relationships between mentor and mentee,” Davis is quoted as saying in the magazine. “Mentoring may be pedagogical, personal or pastoral in nature.”
A head of house or housemaster position at a school generally involves overseeing the smooth running of school house, while also providing student and staff pastoral support.
In December last year, the Old Cranbrookians’ Association inducted Davis as an honourable “Old Cranbrookian” for his 30 years of service at the school.
A Cranbrook spokesperson said: “As this is a matter before the courts, it would not be appropriate for the school to comment.”
Late last year Cranbrook, which charges $49,521 for year 12, appointed Ravenswood School for Girls principal Anne Johnstone as its new head after former head Nicholas Sampson sensationally resigned following media reporting on the school’s workplace culture.
Johnstone will become the first female head in Cranbrook’s 107-year history ahead of the school’s high-profile transition to co-education from next year.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.