KNOX’S Ethics Centre Named for Former Head Ian Paterson to Be Retitled after Damning Royal Commission Evidence

9 News
March 6, 2015

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/03/06/15/07/knox-to-change-the-name-of-centre-named-for-former-headmaster

Former Knox headmaster Ian Paterson.

Sydney private school Knox will reportedly rename its business and ethics centre that bears the name of former headmaster Ian Paterson, following revelations of child sex abuse carried out by teachers during his tenure.

Headmaster John Weeks said the Paterson Centre for Ethics and Business studies would be renamed following a proposal from the school's abuse survivors, Fairfax Media reported.

Dr Paterson headed the school for 30 years, and revelations during the royal commission into child sex abuse in institutions have showed he failed to respond to numerous allegations of sexual assault levelled against teachers by students.

"We sadly cannot allow that name to stay on that building," Mr Weeks said today.

An online petition was also launched on Wednesday by a group of Knox old boys to rename the centre.

Five Knox teachers who worked at the school during Dr Paterson's time as headmaster from 1969-1998 were arrested in 2009 and have been convicted of sex offences against students.

An arrest warrant has been issued for another teacher who failed to appear before the royal commission.

This week Dr Paterson admitted he was unaware it was illegal to grope a student.

However, today he went back on previous statements about accusations he misled police who came to ask him about alleged pedophile teachers at the school.

Dr Paterson directly contradicted evidence that he gave earlier in the week when he agreed he had deliberately withheld information from Inspector Beth Cullen of the child protection squad in 1996.

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

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

And he said while he failed to protect the welfare of the victims, he believed he had in place "an outstanding system of pastoral care".

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

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

"So you did not deliberately seek to mislead Inspector Cullen,” Mr Harrowell asked.

"Absolutely not,” Dr Paterson said.

The commission has heard over two weeks that Dr Paterson failed to refer any allegations of child sex abuse against teachers to police, even though it has 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 indecent dealings with Knox boys, were allowed to resign and were given good references by Dr Paterson.

On Friday Dr Paterson defended the system he had in place, describing its failure as "extraordinary, given so many likely outlets for help".

He listed the people boys were encouraged to talk to, from housemasters to teachers and chaplains, and insisted he would have taken action if he knew.

He said his failure to act was because he did not know, not because "I did not want to know".

Dr Paterson has consistently denied that because his own reputation was so tied up with the school he deliberately covered up allegations that would reflect badly on himself and the school.