Northern links in royal commission into child sexual abuse at Marist Brothers school

By Jessica Marszalek
Cairns Post
June 11, 2014

http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/northern-links-in-royal-commission-into-child-sexual-abuse-at-marist-brothers-school/story-fnjpusyw-1226950166828

TWO former teachers from a North Queensland school and at least two ex-students will be witnesses at a royal commission into child sexual abuse.

The inquiry is sitting in Canberra to consider whether the Marist Brothers ignored repeated reports and suspicions of abuse by two long-serving brothers, choosing instead to move them on to new schools.

The 16-person witness list for the 10-day commission ­includes a former teacher and a former principal of a Marist Brothers school in North Queensland.

It also lists two former ­students of the school, which has not been named.

The inquiry yesterday heard that a self-confessed paedophile was allowed to teach in NSW and the ACT for 40 years during which he allegedly assaulted nearly 50 boys ­despite repeatedly ­admitting his ­actions to ­superiors.

It heard Brother John Chute taught from 1952 to 1993, despite admitting to four cases of abuse when children came forward ­between 1960 and 1972. Despite these admissions, he went on to teach for 17 years at Marist College Canberra, which 39 of his 48 alleged victims attended.

The commission was told he abused boys in his office, a store room, at a film night, in a pie wagon and sometimes in front of other students.

One former student, Damian De Marco, described how he fought off a sexual attack by Chute in a store room in Year 7 and reported it in Year 12 out of concern for other ­potential victims.

After being told Chute had ­denied the attack and nothing would be done, he again ­reported the abuse to the school after he graduated, ­before eventually going to police with the allegations.

The commission heard from two victims of former Brother Gregory Sutton, who taught in Queensland, NSW and the ACT from 1973 to 1987 and was moved to new schools when teachers or parents raised concerns. The women told of their lengthy sexual abuse by their Year 5 teacher at St Thomas More primary in Campbelltown, NSW.

Sutton is alleged to have abused 21 boys and girls, and was sent for counselling in Canada. He left Marist Brothers and was a headmaster in the US before being extradited back to Australia.

He pleaded guilty to 67 counts of child sexual assault and was sentenced to 18 years’ jail in 1996.

Chute served two years’ jail for 19 counts of child sexual abuse.