Former judge tells inquiry he told Knox Grammar headmaster to go to police

The Guardian
March 4, 2015

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/mar/04/former-judge-knox-grammar-headmaster-to-go-to-police

Ian Paterson, former headmaster at Knox Grammar School, departs after giving evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney on Tuesday. Photo by Dean Lewins

A former supreme court judge says he told the headmaster of Knox Grammar to report an allegation to police that a teacher had been sleeping with a boy at the elite Sydney school for two years.

Morris “Dusty” Ireland, who was chairman of the Knox school council in the 1990s, has told the child abuse royal commission headmaster Ian Paterson told him in 1992 a student was threatening to sue the school and expose it “as a hotbed of homosexuality”.

The student, known as ATJ, also alleged teacher Bob James had been having sex with a senior student, known as ATP, for two years.

Ireland said he could not now remember full details, but recalled advising Paterson not to approach the student and told him the James affair should be reported to police because it “might involve criminal conduct” depending on the student’s age.

He said he could not remember what became of his recommendation.

Ireland said news of the litigation threat was common knowledge at the time and he was sure he would have spoken to other school councillors about it.

Earlier on Wednesday, Paterson, headmaster at Knox from 1969 to 1998, admitted to the commission that he had impeded a police investigation in 1996 into a number of Knox teachers.

When New South Wales police inspector Beth Cullen of the child protection unit approached Paterson about the teachers – Craig Treolar, Damien Vance, Christopher Fotis and Barrie Stewart – he referred her to his secretary to provide school records.

When asked by counsel advising the commission David Lloyd if he knew the records would not reveal any information, Paterson answered: “Correct.”

Lloyd asked him if he had known that failing to tell Cullen what he knew, including that three of the teachers were still at the school, “was likely to impede or hinder her investigation”.

Paterson replied: “I accept that.”

The former headmaster went on to admit that multiple failures on his part put students at risk of sexual abuse.

He had never reported to police or put in place any training for staff on mandatory reporting obligations.

Paterson also said he didn’t have written policies on child protection and no systems in place for interviewing or conducting reference or criminal checks for people applying to be housemasters.

In the case of ATJ, he said he had hoped the litigation would never proceed.

The commission has been told there is a handwritten school note referring to the litigation noting that ATJ had died.

In reply to Geoffrey Watson QC, representing Knox, Paterson agreed the school was inextricably linked to his own reputation, but denied that he was giving false evidence to protect his own name.

The royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse hearing will resume on Thursday with Ireland returning to the stand.

Paterson will then be recalled.