Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse: Former Marist College Principal Denies Covering up Allegations

By Ewan Gilbert
ABC News
June 12, 2014

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-12/former-marist-college-headmaster-denies-covering-up-allegations/5519874

PHOTO: Former Marist College headmaster Brother Terrence Heinrich (left) with the CEO of the Catholic Church's Truth, Justice and Healing Council Francis Sullivan. (ABC News: Ewan Gilbert)

Former Canberra Marist College headmaster Brother Terence Heinrich has denied he was involved in covering up allegations of child sexual abuse during the 1980s.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is examining the response of the Marist Brothers to allegations of child sexual abuse in schools across the ACT, New South Wales and Queensland.

Brother Heinrich today admitted under cross-examination that dealing with allegations secretly and internally was the way it was.

Brother Heinrich was the headmaster at Marist College from 1983 to 1989, while Brother Kostka Chute was sexually abusing boys at the school.

In 1996 Brother Kostka was convicted of abusing six boys and sentenced to two years in jail.

But 39 students have alleged that he assaulted them during his 17 years at the school.

Counsel assisting Simeon Beckett asked Brother Heinrich how, during his time as headmaster, he was not aware of such a large number of boys being abused by Brother Kostka.

Brother Heinrich said there were never any complaints made to him.

He told the inquiry the first allegation he received was from the parents of a boy who was abused by Brother Kostka during a film night at the school in the mid '80s.

"It just didn't make sense to me. I would never had thought this would happen - especially from a Brother," Brother Heinrich said.

"[The] first thing in my mind was to confront Brother Kostka.

"He reacted almost light-heartedly... he treated it with not a lot of gravity. He laughed and said, 'Oh this is a misunderstanding'.

"The implication was that this was in the dark, that there was some movement, that there was some fumbling and this happened.

"Although it now seems naive on my part, I accepted Brother Kostka at his word."

But Brother Heinrich said he did feel the need to report the matter to the Catholic Marist Order.