Assault case: Alice Springs principal Gavin Morris in court

Yipirinya principal Gavin Morris has appeared in court for the first time, denying serious allegations of historical aggravated assault against multiple children.

Gavin Morris, the principal of Alice Springs Indigenous school Yipirinya, outside Alice Springs local court on Tuesday. Picture: Liam Mendes

Alice Springs principal Gavin Morris denies the allegations of historical aggravated assault against multiple children, his lawyer has said during the first court appearance for the head of central Australia’s largest school for Indigenous students.

An emotionless Dr Morris entered Alice Springs courthouse at 9.15am on Tuesday flanked by solicitor Luke Officer – who represented former Northern Territory police officer Zachary Rolfe – without speaking.

The Australian revealed on Thursday the shock arrest of Dr Morris, who is also on the Alice Springs Town Council, for allegedly physically assaulting five young children. The charges are not of a sexual nature.

The outspoken principal spent most of Thursday in custody in Alice Springs before he was released on bail, charged with five counts of aggravated assault.

Sitting in the first row of courtroom three in Alice Springs, the 46-year-old sat silently with his hands held together as his lawyer requested a variation to his bail conditions, including removing the condition that he report to police every Friday.

“These allegations are denied,” Mr Officer told the court.

Deputy Chief Judge Fong Lim ordered that Dr Morris reside at a Braitling address and that he submit a guarantee of $1000.

It is understood that in the week prior to his arrest, a number of staff and students were interviewed by police before Dr Morris was taken into custody on Thursday morning for the alleged ­offending, which police say ­occurred “on multiple separate occasions in 2023”.

“On the 20 June, 2024, police received reports of historical physical assaults on children at the school,” police said.

“The six victims were aged between eight and 13 years old at the time of the assaults, and police will allege the man was an employee of the school at the time.”

On the weekend, The Australian revealed Dr Morris had ­criticised the Northern Territory police and the Territory Families Department regarding their handling of serious allegations about an entrenched community figure just prior to his arrest.

He said in the interview on August 1 he was frustrated by what he saw as a lack of action by the two departments, after flagging a man with access to some of the ­nation’s most vulnerable children needed to be thoroughly investigated over a raft of serious allegations raised by students and staff.

He had made a report to police about the man, an entrenched community figure, involving a number of children, and he and other staff and students were ­interviewed by detectives and gave statements.

“I wouldn’t put my name and my face on the line here if I wasn’t 100 per cent convinced there’s a very serious story here,” Dr Morris said.

Dr Morris has been outspoken after revealing the horrifying extent of the crisis engulfing Indigenous children in Central Australia, at times ­detailing incidents where children have been returned to school in ­handcuffs or wearing ankle bracelets.

In one case, a 12-year-old and his mates allegedly led teachers on a wild pursuit through the town in a ­stolen minibus.

He spoke out in a plea to help students like his who were “in absolute crisis”, saying staff routinely had to contact magistrates to have bail conditions varied for children as young as 12 so they could participate in after-school ­programs.

He added, however, that his students saw the school as “a place of ­culture” and “a place where they want to be”.

Speaking in such a public manner has bought him both powerful friends and powerful enemies.

Dr Morris was excused from appearing in person at his next court appearance.