Former Knox Grammar Headmaster Denies Misleading Police over Abuse

The Guardian
March 5, 2015

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/mar/06/former-knox-grammar-headmaster-denies-misleading-police-over-abuse

Ian Paterson leaves after giving evidence at the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse on Tuesday. Photograph: Nikki Short/AAP

The former headmaster of Knox Grammar said on Friday that he never misled police who came to ask him about alleged paedophile teachers at the school.

Ian Paterson directly contradicted evidence that he gave earlier in the week where he said he accepted he had deliberately withheld information from Inspector Elizabeth Cullen of the child protection squad in 1996.

Paterson, in his final appearance at a royal commission hearing into how the Sydney boys school handled abuse complaints, went into damage control after two weeks of damning evidence.

He said he knew of only three sex abuse complaints during his 30 years at the school.

And he said that while he failed to protect the welfare of the victims, he believed he had in place “an outstanding system of pastoral care” for other pupils.

During cross examination by his solicitor, Jim Harrowell, Paterson said he made no attempt to mislead Cullen.

He said she just asked him for files on teachers about whom there were anonymous complaints and did not detail any specific allegations.

Harrowell: “So you did not deliberately seek to mislead Inspector Cullen.”

Paterson: “Absolutely not.”

The commission has heard over two weeks that Paterson failed to refer any allegations of child sex abuse against teachers to police, even though it had been a mandatory requirement to do so since 1988.

There were also allegations he covered up some incidents and did not keep the school council informed.

Teachers, including five who were later convicted in 2009 of indecent dealings with Knox boys, were allowed to resign and were given good references by Paterson.