Detective "Horrified" to Discover St Ann's Special School Sex Abuse Investigation Shut Down, Inquiry Hears

By Candice Marcus
7 News
March 18, 2014

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/22036308/detective-horrified-to-discover-sex-abuse-investigation-shut-down-inquiry-hears/

A detective was "furious" and "horrified" that an investigation into a paedophile ring was prematurely shut down, a royal commission in Adelaide has heard.

The inquiry, which is examining the sexual abuse of intellectually disabled students from St Ann's Special School more than two decades ago, today heard Assistant Police Commissioner Colin Watkins ordered the investigation cease in 1993.

Detective Sergeant Leonid Mosheev was under intense questioning from Sophie David, who is counsel assisting the inquiry, throughout day two of the hearing into the case.

Detective Sergeant Mosheev said two years after school bus driver Brian Perkins was initially identified as having molested the intellectually disabled students, he was tasked with investigating Perkins, who was one of four paedophiles targeted under Operation Deny.

He said in 1993 he received an order, which he believed was from Assistant Commissioner Watkins, to shut down the operation and not investigate the St Ann's case any further.

"It was categorical, we were not to investigate, to find any more victims. We were to finalise our current brief of evidence and we were to just finish that off and that was it," he said.

"We were horrified. I mean there was so much more to look at and I cannot disobey a senior officer, particularly the rank of assistant commissioner.

"It was just 'finalise it, we don't want any more work on this, you've got other things to do, that's it'."

Detective Sergeant Mosheev said he was given no explanation of why the operation was being abandoned, and he could not challenge the order.

"[We were told] not to look at exhibits, not to look at anything further at all. That was my understanding of the instruction," he said.

"Afterwards we clarified, we were quite agitated and we had some very strong words to [Superintendent] Symons."

Perkins initially absconded in 1991, then was arrested in 1993 but fled to Queensland after he was bailed.

He was not extradited to face court until 2002 and died in prison in 2009.

Earlier Detective Sergeant Mosheev was questioned about a number of his own failings in following up on Perkins during the initial investigation in 1991.

He was one of the officers who searched Perkins' home and found two canisters of undeveloped film.

When developed they were found to be naked photographs of children who attended St Ann's.

Detective Sergeant Mosheev was questioned in the witness stand by Ms David about "unusual" aspects of Perkins' unit, including a photographic dark room and children's bunk beds.

Ms David, counsel assisting the inquiry, asked why Perkins was not arrested at that time.

Q: "He appeared to live alone, did he?"

A: "Very much so, yes."

Q: "Yet in one of the rooms there was double bunk beds?"

A: "Yes."

Q: "Did that not strike you as odd?"

A: "I would think so but at that time, you know, it was initial investigation. You don't click like that and think immediately it is like that."

Q: "But they appeared to be children's beds, is that right?"

A: "I can only go by my notes, I cannot recall them being in the room, only by the notes."

Detective Sergeant Mosheev was also questioned about reports police received at the time from a 19-year-old woman who was a former student of St Ann's.

The inquiry heard she told police Perkins paid her $10 to pose topless for photos and asked her to have naked photographs taken with a young boy with Down's syndrome who attended the school.

Detective Sergeant Mosheev said he could not recall if he had that information about the teenager's complaint when he searched Perkins' house.

The inquiry heard there was an outstanding warrant for Perkins on a driving matter at the time police searched his home that would have been a justification for an immediate arrest, but Detective Sergeant Mosheev said he was unaware of any warrant.

He says police systems back in 1991 were "archaic" and it was hard to get information on outstanding warrants.

He says it was common at the time for police to do those checks after a search had been made.

"Rightly or wrongly, it wasn't a practice that we actually did those sorts of things unless there was some indication that the person was dangerous or something like that," he told the inquiry.

"Practices have changed a lot since then in relation to risk assessments and things like that, but it was common for us to not do that immediately."

Q: (From counsel Sophie David) "Between 21 August when you seized the photos and 26 August when you returned to that address you don't, or any of the persons involved in this investigation, didn't return to Mr Perkins' address, is that correct?"

A: "That's correct, yes."

Q: "Was there any particular reason for that?"

A: "I wanted to see what those photos were and I wanted to have the evidence before me."

Q: "Because the colour photographs at least were developed on the 21st of August, weren't they?"

A: "Yes, yes."

Q: "So you had those photos for some four or five days?"

A: "Yes."

Q: "Was there any particular reason for the delay in not returning there?"

A: "I don't know. I think that I would have waited for the other photos to come back as well so I had both lots of photos."

Ms David pressed Detective Sergeant Mosheev about whether he had made any inquiries at all, including a police check and outstanding warrant check, on Perkins before the search of his home.

Q: "Do you agree you didn't make any such check?"

A: "I did at some stage, but I don't know exactly when I did. It could have been the next day after I had been to Perkins' address, I don't know."

Q: "Do you agree that had you done it before you attended on 21 August and become aware of the PCA warrant, you would have arrested him?"

A: "I agree with you, yes."

Q: "So it wasn't done before you attended the premises?"

A: "No, it wasn't done."

Q: "Prior to attending Mr Perkins' home, did you make any inquiries as to his previous convictions?"

A: "I don't recall, I don't recall that.

Ms David also read statements from police officers Graham Clarke and John Carr.

In his statement, Detective Sergeant Clarke said he could not explain why Perkins had not been extradited at the time.

"I do not recall why no warrant was applied for," he said.

Detective Brevet Sergeant Carr said in his statement he too could not recall why the case was shelved.

"It is my understanding that all efforts to locate Perkins were unsuccessful and at some stage the matter was filed pending him being located," he said.

"I now cannot remember under what circumstances that investigation lapsed."

Two more police witnesses are due to be called to give evidence, as well as several other witnesses including the former St Ann's principal and the Catholic Archbishop Philip Wilson.

The royal commission hearing continues.