Former St Ann's Principal Admits No Criminal Record Check Done on Paedophile Bus Driver

ABC News
March 21, 2014

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-21/former-st-anns-principal-admits-no-criminal-record/5337512?section=sa

[with audio]

PETER LLOYD: The former principal of an Adelaide special school has told the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse that he did not do a criminal record check or verify the references of a bus driver who went on to abuse about 30 intellectually disabled children at the school in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Claude Hamam also acknowledged that he bore some responsibility for allowing Brian Perkins to take some of the St Ann's children on respite care weekends where they were abused.

Our reporter Samantha Donovan has been following the Royal Commission hearings in Adelaide and joins me now.

Sam, first remind us of what happened at the St Ann's school.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Well, Peter, in the early 1990s it came to light, allegations came to light that about 30 intellectually disabled children had been abused at St Ann's special school in Adelaide by the school bus driver, Brian Perkins. He not only drove the students but gave them woodwork lessons and even took some of them on respite care weekends.

Most of the children who were abused were unable to communicate what happened to them and that's why I say about 30 of them were abused and most of the families weren't told it was likely their children had been abused for more than a decade, and it took about that length of time to get Perkins into court and jailed where he later died.

PETER LLOYD: How has Claude Hamam, the former principal of the school, been explaining himself today at the hearing?

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Well, he's admitted to the Royal Commission hearing today Peter, that he didn't check if Brian Perkins had any criminal convictions when he employed him in 1986 and by that stage we now know that Perkins had three convictions for child abuse over three decades.

Mr Hamam also said that he couldn't recall if he verified Perkin's written references by phoning the referees as was required by the Catholic Church's guidelines.

Counsel assisting the Royal Commission, Sophie David, quizzed Claude Hamam about his actions today.

SOPHIE DAVID: When you employed Mr Perkins, you understood that he was to drive the bus containing, with vulnerable children to and from school?

CLAUDE HAMAM: That's correct.

SOPHIE DAVID: And he was the only person or adult on that bus at the time?

CLAUDE HAMAM: That's correct.

SOPHIE DAVID: And yet notwithstanding that, you didn't comply with those policies or procedural requirements that I've just referred you to in the South Australian Catholics handbook.

CLAUDE HAMAM: Yes.

SOPHIE DAVID: Was there any particular reason for that?

CLAUDE HAMAM: No, I just don't really, I just don't recall the reasons or why I made that decision to employ him.

PETER LLOYD: That's Claude Hamam, the former principal of the Adelaide special school St Ann's where the child sex abuse Royal Commission is focused at the moment.

On the line from Melbourne Samantha Donovan our report.

Sam, what's the commission been hearing today about Brian Perkins, this bus driver and how he brought another man into the school?

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Well, that man Peter was Robert Hawkes, another paedophile who was later targeted along with Perkins in a police operation. The commission's heard today that Hawkes was with Perkins when he took indecent photos of St Ann's students. In fact that evidence has been heard over several days at the commission now. Those photos were taken at Perkin's home.

But this morning Claude Hamam has told the commission that a teacher alerted him that Perkins had brought a stranger onto the school grounds. Mr Hamam told the commission he just thought he was a friend of Perkins but he did tell him it wasn't appropriate for him to do any volunteer work at the school with Perkins but otherwise no red flags were raised with him.

Mr Hamam's also told the commission today that Perkins did take some of the children home for respite care weekends, which he largely thought was the responsibility and decision of the parents, but he did acknowledge this morning that as he'd employed Perkins without making the appropriate checks, he was, in some part, responsible for those weekend arrangements and introducing Perkins to the St Ann's community.

PETER LLOYD: Alright Samantha Donovan, thank you.