Knox Grammar: Former Headmaster Ian Paterson Admits He Failed to Protect Students
By Nicole Chettle
A former headmaster of prestigious Sydney boys' school Knox Grammar has told a royal commission he failed to protect the welfare of abuse survivors. But Dr Ian Paterson told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that for thousands of other students, the school had an "outstanding system of pastoral care". "This system had a widespread culture of, for boys, if you are troubled by anything, please speak to your prefect, your tutor, your house master, your year master, the school counsellor, hospital nurse, chaplain, teacher," Dr Paterson said. "We were an open school. That this system failed to reveal the victims of abuse is extraordinary." After Dr Paterson made the comment a survivor of sexual abuse at the school walked out of the royal commission. Scott Ashston earlier told the hearing that inappropriate touching of students by teachers was common in the 1980s. He said he was appalled by Dr Paterson's comment that the system had failed the boys. "I found it to be insulting," he said. "The view that I've taken is that Paterson has fallen on his sword. "There are people who should be held to account who are definitely complicit." The commission on Friday concluded hearings into the school's handling of allegations of child sexual abuse between 1970 and 2012. But Dr Paterson's comments angered abuse survivor Angus Ollerenshaw. "He said his pastoral care worked for thousands of students. But it failed. Because we wouldn't be here otherwise," he said outside the royal commission. On the final day of evidence, Dr Paterson also said he did not try to mislead a police investigation into child sexual abuse. This is despite earlier in the week accepting that he deliberately tried to mislead a policewoman about matters that were centrally important to her investigation in 1996. On Wednesday, Dr Paterson told commission he provided staff files to Inspector Beth Cullen from the Child Protection Enforcement Agency. The commission heard Dr Paterson knew the files contained no relevant information. He told the commission he did not tell police what he knew about the men being investigated, including three teachers still at the school who were later convicted of child sexual abuse. During his evidence, Dr Paterson said he did not launch an internal inquiry either, despite knowing that teachers were the subject of a police investigation. On Friday, under questioning by his solicitor Jim Harrowell, he took a different view. Jim Harrowell: "You were asked for files of certain named teachers?" Dr Ian Paterson: "Correct." Jim Harrowell: "And you weren't asked any questions by Inspector Cullen as to what was in the files?" Dr Ian Paterson: "No." Jim Harrowell: "You made no attempt to mislead Inspector Cullen about the contents of those files?" Dr Ian Paterson: "No..." Jim Harrowell: "Inspector Cullen, while she told you in general terms she was looking at issues of sexual abuse involving those teachers, did she detail any of the specific allegations at that time?" Dr Ian Paterson: "No." Jim Harrowell: "Did she ask to discuss those allegations with you?" Dr Ian Paterson: "No." Jim Harrowell: "So you did not deliberately seek to mislead Inspector Cullen?" Dr Ian Paterson: "Absolutely not." Ethics centre named after Dr Paterson to be renamed The current headmaster of Knox Grammar, John Weeks, spoke outside the hearing and confirmed that the Paterson Centre for Ethics and Business Studies at the school would be renamed. "I can tell you that there have been discussions with the school council ... and we sadly cannot allow that name to stay on those buildings," Mr Weeks said. "I think you heard very clearly this week the kind of school that sadly Ian Paterson developed. "We've changed that root and branch. That school doesn't exist in that form anymore, and I can assure people of that." Mr Weeks was asked why the structure bearing Mr Paterson's name could not stay there unchanged. "We have canvassed with old boys, we have canvassed with current families, we believe that failure is there and we believe that unfortunately the evidence tells us that it just can't stand up," he said. On the final day of evidence, Dr Paterson again denied groping a girl on stage during a rehearsal for a school musical in 1989. On Wednesday, a former student said he witnessed the indecent assault on Lucy Perry, who is now the chief executive of a women's charity. On Friday, Dr Paterson told his solicitor Jim Harrowell that he never inappropriately touched a student. Jim Harrowell: "And you would say you would never have done that, at all?" Dr Ian Paterson: "Never." Jim Harrowell: "And more particularly, never done that in that environment?" Dr Ian Paterson: "It doesn't matter what the environment was, I would never have done it." Jim Harrowell: "And never have?" Dr Ian Paterson: "Never have." The commission had been examining the school's handling of the issue where concerns were made about inappropriate conduct by a number of teachers between 1970 and 2009. Dr Paterson was headmaster from 1969–1998. Earlier Dr Paterson told the commission he "didn't think" to alert police when a man wearing a balaclava allegedly indecently assaulted a student in his bed in 1988. The royal commission has the authority to recommend criminal proceedings against individuals by referring them to the Department of Public Prosecutions. The commission took this action after hearings that examined child sexual abuse at the YMCA in December last year. During more than two years of hearings involving various institutions, the commission had also referred 510 matters to NSW Police for investigation. A final case study report into the Knox Grammar School's handling of sexual abuse allegations is expected to be published by September this year.
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