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Former Knox head Ian Paterson admits sex abuse cover-up
By Ean Higgins
THE former headmaster of Knox Grammar has denied a sensational allegation that he indecently assaulted a schoolgirl 25 years ago. Lucy Perry this week told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that in 2009 she reported to police that when she was rehearsing for a musical directed by the headmaster 20 years earlier, he had indecently assaulted her. Ms Perry told the inquiry that while rehearsing for a strip club scene in Guys and Dolls when she was a 16 year old schoolgirl, Ian Paterson, in a deliberate act of misogyny to humiliate her, had put his hand on her bottom and touched her genitals, to a roar of delight of the Knox boys in the cast. Dr Paterson said he remembered Ms Perry performing in the class, but categorically denied the groping incident took place. As to the allegations that the boys roared at the time, Dr Paterson said: “They were roaring with approval for her performance as the sultry dancer.” The inquiry also heard from Dr Paterson that when a former student threatened to sue the school for allegedly having been sexually molested by Stewart, and to publicly expose widespread homosexuality at Knox, he kept file notes that he made the decision not to tell the school council about it. Dr Paterson said he had not reported the matter to the police, and not asked Stewart if the allegation were true although he did ask him if he were homosexual. Nor did he launch an independent investigation of the allegation, hoping that the matter would just go away. Mr Lloyd put to Dr Paterson that he had decided on those courses of action so as to “do what you could to cover up the allegations.” Dr Paterson replied: “Yes.” Earlier, the inquiry was told that NSW police knew as early as 1996 about allegations of child sexual abuse at Knox and approached headmaster Dr Paterson about it, but he provided no assistance to the investigator. It was another 13 years before five teachers were arrested, the royal commission into child sexual abuse heard today. In sensational new evidence to the inquiry, Dr Paterson also made his first direct admission that he had “covered up” an alleged case of sexual abuse by a teacher after a former student threatened to sue the school. The inquiry is looking into allegations that over the nearly three decades in the 70s, 80s and 90s when Dr Paterson was headmaster, the school failed to deal with allegations that at least six teachers abused students at the prestigious Sydney boys private school. The counsel assisting the Commission, David Lloyd, put new evidence to the inquiry that in 1996 a NSW police inspector, Beth Cullen from the Child Protection Enforcement Agency, came to see Dr Paterson after making an appointment. Knox grope met ‘roars of approval’ Bombshell of a life torn apart Mr Lloyd: I want to suggest to you that when Inspector Cullen came to see you, she told you that she had received anonymous information about allegations of child sexual abuse involving Craig Treloar, Damien Vance, Chris Fotis, Barrie Stewart, Adrian Nisbett and Michael Probert. Dr Paterson: I accept that. Dr Lloyd: And she said to you that she wanted to verify details about those men, including whether they were still employed? Dr Paterson: I accept that. Mr Lloyd: You immediately referred the inspector to your secretary and said that your secretary would provide staff records? Dr Paterson: I accept that. Mr Lloyd: You did not say to Inspector Cullen about what you knew about the allegations against Treloar, Vance, Fotis, or Stewart, do you accept that? Dr Paterson: I accept that. The inquiry has heard evidence that Dr Paterson did not record allegations of child sexual abuse against teachers, and that many records made by others went missing and might have been deliberately destroyed, possibly by Nisbett. Treloar, Vance, Stewart, Nisbett and one other teacher, Roger James, were arrested in 2009, and later convicted of child related offences. Dr Paterson agreed that he knew Inspector Cullen would not find any relevant material in the files, and said he did not provide police with any information about the allegations subsequently. Three teachers in question were still at the school: Stewart, Treloar and Nisbett. In earlier evidence, Dr Paterson had agreed under cross-examination that in the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s he had known of allegations, and in many cases admissions, of a range of improper conduct by some of the teachers in question. Mr Lloyd: You were deliberately attempting to mislead Inspector Cullen about matters which were centrally important to her investigation? Dr Paterson: I accept that. Mr Lloyd: You did so with the intention of protecting those teachers about whom she was making the inquiries? Dr Paterson: That’s the way it appears. Before his evidence this morning, Dr Paterson spent most of Tuesday in the witness box, mostly cross-examined by Mr Lloyd. In his last question to the former headmaster in this inquiry, Mr Lloyd asked: “You know that if you had done more to find out about the information and to take steps to make investigations into allegations of child sexual abuse, that it is quite likely that a number of boys under your care would not have been abused?” Dr Paterson replied: “Correct.”
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