Knox Head "Lied" about Arrest: Inquiry

SBS
February 27, 2015

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/02/27/knox-head-lied-about-arrest-inquiry

The Knox Grammar School at Wahroonga, Sydney (AAP)

A former headmaster of Knox Grammar lied to students about police arresting a balaclava-wearing sexual predator at the school, one of his assistants has told an inquiry.

Stuart Pearson, former general duties master at the prestigious Sydney school, said Ian Paterson, the principal at Knox for 30 years, discouraged investigations of sexual misbehaviour by teachers.

Mr Pearson, a former policeman, was a resident master at the school from 1985 to 1990 and investigated infringements as part of his job.

He told the sex abuse royal commission there were no restrictions on investigating matters such as misappropriation of funds, but Dr Paterson's "attitude was different when it came to inappropriate behaviour by teachers".

Mr Pearson described that attitude as disbelief - ranging from refusal to accept the allegation to "outright denial".

He also said that Dr Paterson made it clear no police should be involved unless "he made it happen".

Evidence on Friday at the royal commission hearing focused on a late 1988 incident where a balaclava-wearing intruder assaulted a boy in the early hours of the morning.

Mr Pearson was still investigating and suspected the culprit was resident master Chris Fotis, but Dr Paterson told students the police had arrested an "Asian man".

In reply to David Lloyd, counsel assisting the commission, Mr Pearson agreed there was no truth in that statement.

"Not even a scintilla," he said.

Mr Pearson also said he went to Dr Paterson with evidence that a 14-year-old boy had been given alcohol, shown gross pornography and invited to perform a sex act by teacher Craig Treloar.

The headmaster's response was "I can't believe it. I can't believe it".

Mr Pearson thought Treloar had been sacked but he was suspended for six months and then was back at the school in 1989 until his arrest in 2009.

Mr Pearson said when he told Dr Paterson he intended to investigate another teacher, Adrian Nisbett, the headmaster said Nisbett was a highly respected member of the staff and the allegations could not be true.

Nisbett later pleaded guilty to assaulting three boys in 1976 and 1986 and received a suspended sentence in 2010.

In an extraordinary day of evidence on Friday, an email was presented which suggested a solicitor working for Knox was advising documents be destroyed.

Former chairman of the school council Robert Wannan, a crown solicitor, emphatically denied he advised the destruction of documents after the arrest of five teachers.

Mr Wannan, who had not seen the email until just before the commission, said he did not know which solicitor it referred to - only named as "Jim" - but assumed it referred to James Mein, the former moderator of the Uniting Church in Australia.

"The solicitor who drafted this is the one who had been advising the school to destroy documents, with Jim (sic) assistance," the email said.

The hearing continues on Monday when Mr Mein and Dr Paterson will give evidence.

In a statement, the Uniting Church said it fully supports Mr Mein.

"Mr Mein will deny categorically the allegation that he was involved in destroying documents," the statement said.