Disabled boy wanted to kill sex predator...

By Sally Brooks
Daily Telegraph
March 17, 2014

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/disabled-boy-wanted-to-kill-sex-predator-royal-commission-into-institutional-responses-to-child-sexual-abuse-told/story-fnii5yv6-1226856999752

Former Catholic school bus driver Brian Perkins after his arrest in Queensland in 2002.

Brian and Helen Gitsham outside the hearing.

Sophie David outside the hearing.

THE mother of an intellectually disabled youth allegedly sexually abused by paedophile bus driver Brian Perkins two decades ago is still searching for answers from the Catholic Church, an inquiry has heard.

After submitting a list of 35 questions to Archbishop Philip Wilson, Helen Gitsham told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on Monday that she is still waiting for them to be answered.

The inquiry is probing the handling of claims of child sexual abuse at St Ann’s Special School at Marion between 1985 and 1991.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW LIVE COVERAGE OF COMMISSION’S HEARING

In her opening address, counsel assisting the commission Sophie David said Perkins was employed by the school as a bus driver. “He also volunteered in the woodwork class and provided respite care to parents on weekends,” Ms David said.

Several witnesses gave evidence at the commission hearing, including Mrs Gitsham. Her son, David, attended the school from 1975 to 1988, while Perkins was employed there.

Sitting with her husband, Brian, Mrs Gitsham read a 36-page statement to the hearing.

She told the commission that, despite all her family’s requests over 13 years — to the Catholic Church, the State Government and police — the matter of abuse of students at St Ann’s has never been addressed by an independent body.

Mrs Gitsham said she had spent “many painful hours” searching for answers and that the commission provided the first opportunity the family has had to bring the matter forward for scrutiny.

“This longstanding denial of natural justice and due process must now be addressed for all victims of this crime,” she said.

“In 2001, when my husband and I were first made aware of the allegations of abuse at St Ann’s by Mr Perkins and that our son David was possibly one of those abused, we were shocked. We were more shocked when we heard that the information about the alleged abuse … had been kept from us for the past 10 years.”

David was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2005, said Mrs Gitsham, and died shortly after.

“At no time have we been offered any form of alternative dispute resolution and our list of 35 questions, which we sent to Archbishop Wilson on 20 October 2004, were never properly answered,” she said.

Archbishop Wilson will also give evidence at the hearing.

Ms David said that in 2003, 12 years after allegations were first brought to the attention of SA police, Perkins pleaded guilty to and was convicted of five sexual offences against three St Ann’s students. He was sentenced to 10 years’ prison with a non-parole period of six years, said Ms David, and died in custody.

In her opening address this morning, Counsel Assisting the Commission Sophie David said this was the Commission’s ninth case, but first in Adelaide.

“Three institutions are the focus of the hearing: the South Australian Police, the Principal and governing boards of St Ann’s Special School and the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide, including the Catholic Education Office,” she said.

“The offender Brian Perkins was employed by the school as a bus driver. He also volunteered in the woodwork class and provided respite care to parents on weekends. He worked at the school from 1985 until 1991.”

The first witness to give evidence was an intellectually disabled man, who is now his late 30s, but was abused by Perkins when he was a student at St Ann’s.

As a boy, he held a knife to the face of a bus driver who was sexually abusing him — wanting his abuser to die, the Royal Commission heard.

LH, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was aged between 11 and 15 at the time of the abuse.

In response to questioning from Ms David, LH recounted several incidents in which he was sexually abused by Perkins.

He gave his evidence at the Commission via a closed television circuit and recounted several incidents in which he was sexually abused by Perkins, who drove LH to and from school.

The witness told the Commission he would also see Perkins at the school during lunchtime, and at the woodwork shed.

Often, LH would stay at Perkins’ house from Friday to Sunday, before returning to his foster parents house.

LH told the Commission of the various sexual acts that Perkins performed on him, including one “harrowing” incident when Perkins took LH to another man’s house.

The Commission heard Perkins abused LH at this house, along with other students, and also took photos of him naked.

LH also recounted incidents at the woodwork shed and on the bus when he was sexually abused by Perkins.

The Commission heard the abuse made LH feel angry and upset and caused him to have mood swings.

He wanted to tell someone what was happening to him, said LH, but Perkins told him not too because he would get in trouble with the police.

LH said one time he put a knife to Perkins’ face, and when asked why, he said: “Because I wanted maybe to kill him, make him die.”

After Perkins left the school, LH spoke to police about the abuse and that felt good, he told Ms David.

At the conclusion of his evidence, LH asked the Commission if he had done a good job, and thanked the staff assisting him.

In the opening address, Ms David said that at the time of his appointment to the school, Perkins had been convicted of three sexual offences against children in South Australia.

“In 1956, in the South Eastern District Criminal Court, he was convicted of the offence of abduction of a child by force or fraud and sentenced to a bond to be of good behaviour for three years,” she said.

“In 1969, in the Adelaide Magistrates Court, Perkins was convicted of carnally know or attempt to have carnal knowledge and sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment. In 1974, in the Adelaide Magistrates Court, Perkins was convicted of carnally know or attempt to have carnal knowledge and sentenced to 2 months imprisonment.”

Thirteen witnesses are expected to give evidence at the Commission, including two mothers of students abused by Perkins.

Ms David said in 2003, Perkins pleaded guilty to and was convicted of five sexual offences against three students of St Anns Special School.

The Commission heard Perkins was sentenced to 10 years’ prison with a non parole period of six years, and died in custody.

The hearing runs until Friday.

The hearing continues Tuesday and several police witnesses are expected to give evidence.