Knox Grammar: Charity CEO accuses former headmaster of indecent assault

By Nicole Chettle
ABC News
March 2, 2015

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-02/former-knox-grammar-staffer-says-headmaster-lied-about-arrest/6274462

Lucy Perry said she reported the alleged assault after hearing reports Knox Grammar students had been abused.

The royal commission is examining evidence of sexual abuse at Knox Grammar.

A woman has accused former Knox Grammar School principal Ian Paterson of indecently assaulting her while she was taking part in a musical he was directing.

Lucy Perry, the chief executive of women's charity Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia, said she reported the alleged abuse to police after hearing students at the school had been abused.

Dr Paterson has not been implicated in any child abuse allegations, but a royal commission has been examining his handling of the issue at the school, where children were abused between the 1970s and 2003.

Ms Perry's account is the only allegation of abuse by Dr Paterson heard by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which has been investigating the school for more than a week.

She told the Sydney hearing the assault happened in 1989 when she was a teenager.

She said Dr Paterson inappropriately touched her in front of the male performers, who laughed.

"He placed his hand on my backside," Ms Perry said.

"I would describe it as between a pat and a grope.

"He then slid his hand down to cup my buttocks and I felt him touch my genitals outside of my clothing.

"I turned around and saw Paterson had what I would describe as a creepy look of satisfaction on his face."

Ms Perry said she was not traumatised by the incident, but approached police in 2009 when she heard about the sexual abuse of students.

"I didn't report it so that Paterson would be charged," she said.

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

Dr Paterson is due to give evidence at the royal commission this week.

Earlier, the Sydney hearing was told crucial documents detailing other allegations of misconduct involving teachers appeared to have been "sanitised" or removed from the school.

James Mein from the Uniting Church served on the Knox Grammar Council from 1994 to 2001 and again from 2008 to 2012.

"Somebody had actually been going through destroying documents that we felt, from what we had heard, should have been there and weren't there," Mr Mein said.

"I certainly have never, or am I aware of any solicitor in our groups, that actually said that we should be destroying records.

"To me it is abhorrent to do so."

Mr Mein said Adrian Nisbett, a teacher who was later convicted of child sex offences, may have been responsible, but there was no evidence to prove that.

Mr Nisbett served as an executive assistant and had access to the school's file room.

"We found it strange that there were key documents that incriminated certain people that were not on the files," Mr Mein said.

Earlier, a former staff member told the inquiry Dr Paterson lied about the arrest of a sex offender known as the balaclava man.

Stuart Pearson, a former police prosecutor, worked as the headmaster's assistant at Knox Grammar when the man attacked a student in about 1988.

The inquiry was told a student boarder awoke to find a man wearing a balaclava touching him inappropriately from under his bed.

The man fled and Mr Pearson began an internal investigation.

Mr Pearson said while he was still investigating the incident, Dr Paterson told the students the matter was closed.

"Whilst I was investigating this matter and had not yet finished my investigations, Dr Paterson assembled the boys at MacNeil house and told them that the matter was over. Closed. Finished," he said.

"The explanation was a man, an Asian man had entered the place.

"He had been caught by the police, arrested I think was the word used, and was now being dealt with by the police and so the matter as far as the school is concerned is finished."

Mr Pearson told the royal commission he had lost respect and trust in his superior.

"Very shortly after the headmaster spoke to the boys, I felt duty bound to find out whether that was true or not," he said.

Mr Pearson then rang the police to check if what Dr Paterson said was true.

"There's no formal report. There's no formal arrest. There's no arrest," Mr Pearson said.

Counsel Assisting David Lloyd asked Mr Pearson if he reported it, especially as he was already on the phone to the police.

"No, I did not," he said.

"It was not my job ... I should have and I didn't. And I regret that."

Mr Pearson said he came to the conclusion that Dr Paterson was lying.

"No-one suggested to me that Dr Paterson was lying," he said.

"I am saying Dr Paterson was lying."

Mr Lloyd told the royal commission although the face of the person wearing the balaclava was concealed, a number of the students believed the offender was former teacher Christopher Fotis.

"Although the person's face was concealed by a balaclava, a number of the boys in the dormitory believed that the offender was Christopher Fotis, one of the resident masters in MacNeil House at the time," he said.

An arrest warrant is outstanding for Mr Fotis, who had been called to give evidence before the royal commission last week but failed to appear.