Senior Uniting church figure denies he told Knox Grammar to destroy records

The Guardian
March 2, 2015

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/mar/02/senior-uniting-church-figure-denies-he-told-knox-grammar-to-destroy-records

James Mein appearing as a witness at the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse on Monday.

A senior church figure who was on the council of Sydney’s Knox Grammar has denied giving advice that school records should be destroyed.

James Mein, who was moderator of the Uniting Church in Australia and on the council of the Sydney school, said neither he nor any solicitor he knew advised the school to destroy records.

He was giving evidence at a royal commission into sexual abuse on Monday

Counsel assisting the commission David Lloyd said on Monday it was not his intention to recommend finding against Mein in relation to the records.

Lloyd said Dwane Feehley, whose email contained an allegation that a solicitor assisted by Mein was advising Knox to destroy records, was overseas and could not be compelled to appear.

There was no other evidence to suggest Mein or former chairman of the Knox Council, solicitor Rob Wannan, made any such advice.

The commission has found a “paucity” of records at the school about student complaints and the school’s response to allegations of historical sexual abuse of students.

Mein said he had a number of conversations at the school with the current headmaster, John Weeks, and council members concerned that school records were being “sanitised”.

Mein said he thought it abhorrent to destroy documents. “I certainly have never, nor am I aware of any solicitor in our groups, that actually said we should be destroying records,” he told the commission.

He said he and others on the council suspected the documents were removed by Adrian Nesbitt, a teacher who was later convicted of indecent dealing with boys.

Nesbitt was assistant to headmaster Ian Paterson and was given the job of compiling an 80th anniversary publication which gave him access to all school archives.

Also on Monday, the chief executive of a women’s health charity gave evidence that she was indecently assaulted by a former Knox Grammar headmaster.

Lucy Perry told the royal commission that Ian Paterson groped her in 1989 when she was part of musical being produced by her school, Roseville, and Knox.

Perry who is chief executive of Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia (Australia), said the assault happened in full view of students at the Knox school hall, and the boys who saw it “roared with approval”.

She reported the assault to New South Wales police in 2009 when numerous allegations about widespread sexual abuse at the school were coming out.

Perry said at one of the rehearsals she was backstage talking to some of the boys at a production of Guys and Dolls when Dr Paterson pointed to her and one of the boys and said “you and you, out”.

Despite this she turned up at the next rehearsal and Dr Paterson who was the produced singled her out.

As she walked to the edge of the stage “he placed his hand on my backside. I would describe it as between a pat and a grope.

“He then slid his hand right down to cup my buttocks and [I] felt him touch my genitals outside of my clothing”. She said he had a creepy look on his face.

Perry, 41, said all the boys were sitting on the floor and the assault happened in their plain sight.

“I was humiliated in front of the boys and I heard the boys cheering.

“I was disgusted with Paterson’s behaviour and thought he was demonstrating to the Knox boys that it was perfectly acceptable, even admirable to be disrespectful to girls.”

She said she was not interested in pressing charges against Paterson but in 2009 decided to report it to police.

“I wanted to let police know that I was happy to provide a statement if it was going to be useful to demonstrate the culture of disrespect engendered by the school and to highlight the environment and attitudes fostered by the headmaster.”

She also said she came forward now because she wanted to help a commission committed to bringing about institutional change.

When asked by Jim Harrowell, a solicitor representing Paterson, if he was just positioning her on the stage she said: “I would suggest to you, Mr Harrowell, that positioning girls by their bottoms is not the best way to do that”.

She received a standing ovation from Knox victims and their supporters as she left the hearing.