Abuse victim’s tight belt ruse

A survivor of child sexual abuse took to wearing a tight belt so his maths teacher couldn’t get his hands down his pants, an inquiry has heard.

A NSW survivor of child sexual abuse took to wearing a tight belt to school so his maths teacher couldn’t get his hands down his pants, an inquiry has heard.

The survivor, known as CNS, was abused by Brother Patrick, real name Thomas Butler, during maths classes at Marist Brothers High School at Hamilton, near Newcastle, in 1971. “Brother Patrick sexually abused me on numerous occasions during that year,” CNS told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on Monday. “But I always wore a tight belt so he was never able to get his hand right down ... onto my genitals.”

The royal commission is examining how Maitland-Newcastle Catholic authorities dealt with allegations of abuse against Brother Patrick, as well as men who were known as Brother Romuald and Brother Dominic.

CNS said students discussed how the trio was “touchy-feely”.

AAP