The ward-of-the-state was in the shower, terrified as his abuser unpicked the lock of the bathroom door for yet another morning of torment.

But this time, after four long years of suffering, David was waiting with a flick knife.

“I said, ‘mate, if you come back in here again while I’m having a shower, I’ll f…ing stab you’. And he never came back in again.”

The gently-spoken David, now 61, was one of at least a dozen children allegedly sexually abused by so-called “carer”, Lloyd Arthur Masters, while living at the state government-owned Kennerley Children’s Home between 1975 and 1980.

While he was able to stop the abuse in his final year at the Claremont cottage, tragically the psychological scars still remain – and to this day, David suffers terribly.

Perhaps worst of all, David will never see his alleged perpetrator face justice.

Kennerley Children’s Home has admitted Masters sexually abused some of the boys under his care, noting he was first charged with molesting a boy – not David – back in 1972.

Masters continued his employment while the charge proceeded.

Much later, in 2016, Masters was finally charged with sexually abusing 12 teenagers while working at Kennerley in the 1970s. David was not one of the complainants in these proceedings.

Masters was meant to be extradited back to Tasmania, however, the charges were ultimately dropped due to his age and ill health.

It is understood that Masters is now 91 and living at a nursing home in Sunbury, Victoria, and will not face further prosecution.

In 2018, the Director of Public Prosecutions wrote a letter to David explaining it was “not in the interests of justice to continue with the prosecution” due to “extreme circumstances”.

He said Masters had a list of serious medical ailments, diseases, had suffered three strokes, was not medically fit to attend court, and would likely suffer another stroke if he did so.

That outcome has been gutting for David.

“That pisses me off,” he said, noting it had taken years for the file against Masters to progress – and by that stage, it was too late.

“If he was a famous rock star, they would have got him in 12 months. But it took eight years.

“I wanted to face him. There’s no closure.”

But bravely, David has come forward now to share his story that he has been “carrying around for 50 years” – for two key reasons.

The first is for David’s pride and joy, his son, and the second is to encourage other victim-survivors to come forward.

David’s story of hardship began in the 1960s, when he was just 12 months old and he was placed in out-of-home-care.

The sexual abuse started when he was just six, along with horrendous physical abuse and neglect.

In 1971, when he was nine, he was sent to the Rochebank children’s home at Glebe, where he suffered sexual abuse.

He ran away, but when he was caught, sent to the hell-hole known as Wybra Hall at Mangalore.

David, who identifies as part Tasmanian Aboriginal, was partly targeted because of his race and regularly verbally abused with slurs like “a lying little black bastard”, and regularly lashed with a cane.

When he was 12, he was sent to Kennerley – which ended up being by far the worst place of all.

He’s now suing Kennerley, with help from Canberra-based law firm Maliganis Edwards Johnson, given the long-term impacts of the abuse on his life.

As a younger man, David had one relationship with a woman, which ended as he was unable to continue being physically intimate with her due to his long history of sexual abuse.

However, their union produced a little boy, a beloved son who David raised by himself as a single dad.

David, who has been diagnosed with a long list of mental health issues, said it was hard not being able to have a relationship – especially as he’d wanted more children.

David said the abuse also interfered with his schooling, and now struggled with reading, writing and being able to get jobs.

Physically extremely strong and fit, David had a successful career as a dynamite fruit picker, but these days spends his retirement in the company of his dog, his son and his grandchildren.

In a document lodged with the Supreme Court of Tasmania, David’s lawyers allege Kennerley failed to take reasonable steps to protect the children in its care from Masters’ abuse.

In its filed defence, Kennerley admits Masters was a pedophile who sexually abused some children, but has not admitted he abused David – or that the facility failed in its duty of care.

Instead, Kennerley has pointed the finger at the State of Tasmania, which it said continued Masters’ employment despite being aware of his initial 1972 charge.

Kennerley says Tasmania’s social welfare department failed to visit wards of the state at the children’s home, inspect the cottages at Claremont and Chigwell, or ensure the children were safe there.

The institution says any payout to David should be made by the state, not by Kennerely.

David’s lawyer Hassan Ehsan said David should be applauded for the courage he had shown in coming forward and having his story told publicly.

“He has always stated that he wants to assist other victims in any way that he can,” Mr Ehsan said.