Sexual abuse by Hutchins School staff widely known, royal commission told
By Sam Ikin And Rosemary Bolger
ABC News
November 19, 2014
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-19/sexual-abuse-by-hutchins-school-staff-widely-known-inquiry-told/5901906
|
David Lawrence resigned from Hutchins School in 1970. |
[with audio]
[with video]
A national investigation into child sexual abuse has heard it was widely known that sexual abuse was occurring at a Hobart private boys school in the 1960s.
At the first public hearings in Tasmania for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, witnesses have broken down giving evidence.
They spoke about the abuse by former staff at Hutchins School and their anger at the school for not dealing with the issue.
One told the hearing that as late as last year, the school was attempting to whitewash what had happened.
Four former students gave evidence about the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of school staff, including former headmaster David Lawrence.
The commission is investigating allegations against Lawrence and former teacher Lyndon Hickman stemming back to the 1960s.
However, two former students have also come forward about allegations of abuse perpetrated by two other teachers.
Headmaster resigned after 'inappropriate' letter
Counsel assisting the commission Angus Stewart SC said evidence would be heard that Lawrence resigned and moved to the UK after his secretary read a letter from a former student that made it clear that a sexual relationship had existed between them.
He also said that a former headmaster in the 1990s, Dr John Bednall, had launched an investigation after the student, referred to as AOA, reported the abuse.
"Dr Bednall's report records ... at least three members of staff, between 1964 and 65, had widespread reputations among some staff and senior management for showing an unhealthy interest in boys," Mr Stewart said.
"These impressions were sufficiently based in fact for all of them [staff] to be summarily dismissed by the headmaster or the deputy headmaster.
"No details of their behaviour or dismissal appears ever to have been given to the board of management for their information let alone ratification."
A conversation between Lawrence and a former teacher in the 1960s, which was overheard by another teacher, Geoffrey Ayling, is expected to be a key piece of evidence.
Mr Stewart told the hearing Mr Ayling understood from that conversation that Lawrence and the other teacher were paedophiles.
"It is anticipated that Mr Ayling reported this to his friend and old boy Michael Hodgman," Mr Stewart said.
"Mr Ayling will give evidence that he believes Mr Hodgman did report it to the board but nothing was done about it."
Abuse took place 'during private French lessons'
AOA repeatedly broke down as he read his testimony to the commission.
He recalled the attacks as he was taking private French language tutorials in Lawrence's office.
"Lawrence would get me to sit on the lounge and start work on a lesson in French," AOA read slowly.
"He would sit next to me and gradually move closer.
He would pull me in close and place his arm around my waist and then place his hand on or around my groin and he would then proceed to tutor me in French.
Witness AOA
Former Hutchins School student
"Every lesson was more or less the same.
"He would pull me in close and place his arm around my waist and then place his hand on or around my groin and he would then proceed to tutor me in French.
"He would casually [witness breaks down] reach through my trousers as I read my French lessons."
AOA detailed one occasion he remembered where his genitals were allegedly fondled by Lawrence.
He said he distinctly remembered becoming startled and afraid upon leaving the office as he did not know how he was going to hide what had happened.
When asked if he would prefer Mr Stewart to continue reading his statement AOA replied "no way".
AOA said he never told anyone about the abuse Lawrence allegedly committed against him until the 1970s when he told his girlfriend who would later become his wife.
It was not until the 1990s that AOA said he needed an acknowledgement from the school that the abuse had happened so that he could get some "closure".
He contacted Mr Bednall asking him to take his request to the school's board.
"I was hoping to get a personal heartfelt response," he said.
"Instead when I read the letter I realised that I had received a very clinical and institutional response from the school, which I believed showed no compassion or human feeling at all.
"I felt deflated and diminished given the huge risk I had taken in disclosing in such personal detail what had happened to me."
School took 20 years to apologise
AOA first asked the school to apologise to him in 1993 but the Hutchins School board repeatedly refused.
He said he personally met with the then headmaster, Mr Bednall, in 1994.
"He told me he had assessed my claim and found there was no supporting evidence that Lawrence abused me," he said.
"He said there was no doubt Lawrence loved me and I was the only one he loved.
"I felt gutted by the response.
"I felt like Mr Bednall was normalising what had happened by calling it love and somehow blaming me for what had occurred between Lawrence and me."
"The current board also wishes to acknowledge to AOA that an apology should have been provided to him at an earlier time."
Neil Clelland QC
Lawyer for Hutchins School and Anglican Diocese of Tasmania
AOA said he then took his case to the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania but again he did not recieve an apology.
The Hutchins School eventually apologised to AOA one month ago for the sexual abuse he allegedly suffered at the hands of Lawrence, 20 years after the first request was made.
A lawyer for the Hutchins School, Neil Clelland QC, reaffirmed that apology in his opening remarks.
"The school accepts that the four witnesses who are former students of the school were sexually abused by members of staff in the 1960s," he said.
"I am also instructed that the current board wishes to apologise for the hurt and distress caused to each of them.
"The current board also wishes to acknowledge to AOA that an apology should have been provided to him at an earlier time."
Student told 'he should be ashamed of himself'
A second student, known as AOB, told the commission he was initially assaulted by French teacher Lyndon Hickman.
AOB said Mr Hickman was employed by Hutchins School from 1942–48 and was dismissed for "inappropriate behaviour", but was rehired by Lawrence in 1964.
"Shortly after I started at the school, Hickman groomed me for sexual abuse and then sexually abused me," AOB read.
"I remember my parents meeting Hickman at the time and telling me to try and not be alone with him."
AOB kept his abuse secret until 2000 when the Anglican Church established a inquiry in relation to allegations of child sex abuse by clergy.
He said he hoped he might find out more about why Lawrence had resigned so suddenly 30 years earlier.
"I considered that the information concerning Lawrence may provide me with the context in which my own abuse occurred at the school," he said.
"I wanted to know whether my abuse at the school was an isolated occurrence or part of a wider pattern of abuse."
But he was told that his abused did not fall within the scope of the inquiry because he had not been abused by a member of the clergy.
He said he was "disappointed and disheartened" and did not take the matter further until 2006 when he responded to an advertisement calling for former students to contribute to a history of the school publication.
He was told by then headmaster Bill Toppin that the school could not help and he should take his allegations to the police.
In 2011 he approached the deputy headmaster under Lawrence, John Kerr.
He said Mr Kerr said "Lawrence left the school because of a conflict between his wife and the Bishop's wife".
"John Kerr said to me, words to the effect, that: 'you should be ashamed of yourself. So what if the headmaster was buying gifts for ex-students. Go on and make a big deal out of this'," he recalled.
"After this phone call I was really angry with the school.
"I thought it was another attempt to 'whitewash' over what happened."
AOB said he was given an apology and the offer of compensation in the form of counselling fees by the school's current headmaster Mr Dean.
AOB said he had not wanted an apology or compensation only an explanation surrounding the circumstances of Lawrence's resignation.
He said after 14 years of searching this had not yet been satisfactorily addressed.
Two more students come forward
The scope of the inquiry has been expanded to include allegations against more staff members.
Two former students have also come forward alleging abuse by their music instructor and physical education teacher.
One described the impact, saying he had been robbed of his love for music.
"I feel that if I had not been abused I could have done a lot more as a musician," he said.
Witness AOD said as well as in appropriate touching, PE teacher Ken Dexter had made him stand naked in front of other boys.
At times all students were made to stand naked in front of their lockers for what he called "posture inspection."
Witness known as AOE said Dexter would use his hands to "weigh everybody's testicles" and they were also made to bend over.
The hearing is set down for another seven days.
A former teacher, two past headmasters and a retired assistant Anglican Bishop will appear.
The current headmaster and Tasmanian Anglican Bishop will appear last.
Anyone needing assistance should contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Sexual Assault Support Service on 6231 1817.
|