By Andrew Thomson
The Standard
August 9, 2011
http://www.standard.net.au/news/local/news/general/i-hope-best-never-leaves-jail-says-former-student/2252124.aspx
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| Unrepentant: Brother Robert Best. |
A WARRNAMBOOL student of Robert Best hopes the Christian Brother never leaves jail after yesterday being sentenced to serve another 11 years in prison.
Anne Smith* said she felt nothing but sorrow for the mothers of boys who had killed themselves after being abused by the former teacher.
Robert Charles Best, 70, pleaded guilty in May to abusing 11 boys in Ballarat, Box Hill and Geelong between 1969 and 1988. Most of his victims were aged between eight and 11.
He was yesterday jailed for 14 years and nine months and has to serve 11 years and three months before being eligible for parole.
Best is already serving four prison terms for sex offences.
In sentencing, Judge Roy Punshon told Best: “You have caused a great deal of human damage and misery”.
Brother Best was principal at Ballarat’s St Alypius Catholic Primary School (1969-73) before he taught at the Warrnambool Christian Brothers’ College (which became the co-ed Emmanuel College in 1991) from 1989 to 1994.
None of the current charges he faced were Warrnambool-based and there is no inference his offending was known during his time teaching in the city.
Mrs Smith said she vividly remembers how angry Brother Best was during his time in Warrnambool classrooms.
“I guarantee there are more kids out there — more victims — too afraid or too embarrassed to come forward,” she said.
“There were boys he would target. They were the quiet, good-looking boys.
“I hope he’s in jail until he dies. I can’t believe it’s taken this long for all these things to come out.”
Mrs Smith said she had Brother Best as a teacher in the early 1990s.
“He was just horrible to the students. I was in his class and we all stood up to him.
"Dad went to the school and questioned what was going on because of the things I said when I came home,” she said.
“We were all suspicious and there were rumours he had done things in the past. We just wondered why he was teaching us.
“He was just angry. He would throw books around and he grabbed this boy around the throat one day, shoved him against the wall and said he was going to throw him through the wall.
“I don’t know if it was his conscience or the guilt but you couldn’t get through a class without him going off.
“When he stopped teaching we were still hearing things and I was at school when Brother Best was first charged by police.
“I’ve cried thinking about the boys he abused, the ones who committed suicide.
“After he stopped teaching he would still come to school and the year 12 boys would rock his car. He was kicked out by the kids.”
* Not her real name.
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