Evil rise in school sex abuse as lawyers say ‘bad old days’ not over
Melbourne lawyers are investigating 70 claims of child abuse in schools across the state — including one at Trinity Grammar — and hey say it’s “very much a present-day problem”.
A law firm is currently investigating 70 individual claims of child abuse in schools with lawyers reporting a significant surge in the vile crime.
Shine lawyers has noticed an increase in victims of both historic and more recent school abuse cases and currently has claims at 50 Victorian campuses.
Solicitor Jenna Pletsias warned anyone thinking child abuse offending is “something that happened in the ‘bad old days’, is sadly mistaken”.
“We continue to see large numbers of victim-survivors from schools all over the state coming forward to seek justice for the abuse they’ve suffered,” she said.
“Many of these claims relate to offending committed relatively recently, so this is very much a present-day problem.”
One of those claims currently under investigation was made against prestigious eastern suburbs private school Trinity Grammar in Kew.
The private boys’ school has once again found itself at the centre of historic child abuse allegations, following new accusations against accused pedophile Christopher Howell.
Shine Lawyers has alleged the school breached its duty of care by failing to protect students from the known predator, who was a senior teacher at the school.
A new victim came forward to allege Howell abused them on several occasions in the classroom and on school camps in the late 1970s.
The victim has since suffered profound psychological trauma, which has had a detrimental impact on their wellbeing, according to Ms Pletsias.
“Our client will spend the rest of his life managing the PTSD, anxiety and depression caused by the abuse he endured at the hands of Christopher Howell,” she said.
“We’ll be alleging the school breached its duty of care to our client by failing to keep him safe from an evil perpetrator.”
Howell died in January 2016 after taking his own life three days before he was due to face court on another indecent assault charge.
He was hailed a “hero” by former Trinity Grammar headmaster Dr Michael Davies following his death, despite Howell sexually assaulting a 15-year-old student twice in 1973.
The school later apologised for the tribute and paid the victim – who is now in his 50s – more than $500k just before a civil trial was due to start in 2017.
Ms Pletsias said the way Howell was “lionised” in that letter after his death was “like a gut punch for survivors”.
“To see a perpetrator lauded in such terms would no doubt have been incredibly traumatising,” she said.
Ms Pletsias implored anyone with information regarding abuse at the school to come forward.
A Trinity Grammar spokeswoman said the school did not comment on specific claims out of respect for survivors and their families.
“Trinity Grammar School acknowledges the harm caused by past failures to protect students. Our focus is on supporting victim-survivors with dignity and respect, as well as ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all in our care,” she said.
“The School ensures full compliance with all child protection laws and is committed to fostering a culture in which safeguarding is central and every student is protected from harm.”
Meanwhile Arnold Thomas & Becker Principal Kelly Schober said the firm receives a significant number of calls monthly about historic abuse of students over decades in both private and state-run schools.
“We find that the more people hear of the experiences of others, or find out that there was a pedophile in their school, the more they speak out,” Ms Schober said.
The claims cover abuse that has occurred in the past ten years as well as past decades, as far back as the early and mid-1900s.
Ms Schober also warned survivors against seeking compensation under the National Redress Scheme, which caps compensation at just $150,000 – and often much less.
“The compensation available under redress is measly and nowhere near enough to reflect what survivors have been through,” she said.
Maurice Blackburn is also representing victim-survivors of historic child abuse, with one of its most recent public cases involving Scouts Victoria
The law firm appealed for witnesses in June to assist a former scout boy who suffered sexual and physical abuse at the hands of his group leader Hermann Out in the 60s.
Originally published as Evil rise in school sex abuse as lawyers say ‘bad old days’ not over
