School slow to act against teacher who raped students

By Leonie Mellor
ABC - Lateline
February 17, 2014

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2013/s3946773.htm

EMMA ALBERICI, PRESENTER: The Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse has heard a Queensland Catholic school was initially reluctant to act against a teacher who was eventually convicted of raping some of the girls in his class. The sex attacks began on the primary school pupils in 2007. The inquiry started taking public evidence in Brisbane today and heard from angry parents as well as the school's former protection officer, who blamed some of the children for not coming forward. From Brisbane, Leonie Mellor reports for Lateline.

LEONIE MELLOR, REPORTER: The shocking sequence started in 2007. 13 girls in Year Four were abused by their teacher, Gerard Byrnes.

GAIL FURNESS, COUNSEL ASSISTING: 10 of the offences were particularly serious and involved digital, anal and vaginal rape. All but two offences were committed by Byrnes during class time in his classroom at the primary school.

LEONIE MELLOR: The commission heard that despite strict protocols, the Catholic primary school ...

GAIL FURNESS: ... employed and re-employed a teacher against whom credible and serious allegations of child sexual abuse had been made without taking any action against him.

LEONIE MELLOR: The father of one girl first complained in September, 2007.

KQ, FATHER OF STUDENT KH: She said, "Mr Byrnes put his hand inside the top of my shirt through the buttons and touched me on the breast."

LEONIE MELLOR: He reported the incident to the principal and a student protection officer, but they did little.

The mother of another student was also worried.

KR, MOTHER OF KE: "It was fairly obvious to me that someone had harmed her, but I had no idea who. KE did not want to talk to me about it."

LEONIE MELLOR: Parents told of their horror and disgust when they learned the extent of Byrnes' offending after he was finally arrested in November, 2008.

KP, MOTHER OF KC: "A report should have been made to the police straight after the first complaint was made to the school. If this had happened, KC and the other girls would not have been abused."

LEONIE MELLOR: Two of the victims' families said they felt ostracised by the school, that there was a show of support for the principal with other parents wearing red ribbons to court, making the victims and their families feel like the bad guys.

Catherine Long, the student protection officer at the time, took notes of the initial allegations. She admitted to not being familiar with the concept of grooming and appeared to blame the children for not reporting the abuse earlier.

CATHERINE LONG, STUDENT PROTECTION OFFICER: "And I don't get that out children ... didn't have the courage to come forward."