Child Abuse Royal Commission: Geelong Grammar to Rethink Its Handling of Child Abuse Cases

By Margaret Paul
ABC News
October 23, 2015

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-23/geelong-grammar-to-rethink-its-handling-of-child-abuse-cases/6880402

Geelong Grammar is looking to change the way it deals with victims of sexual abuse at the school, the commercial manager of the school has told the child abuse royal commission.

Andrew Moore gave evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse about the way the school dealt with victims of sexual abuse over several decades.

He was quizzed about the case of a former student, known only as BIW, who was abused by boarding house master Philippe Trutmann in 1989.

Trutmann was at the school's Highton campus in the 1980s and 90s, and was eventually convicted of sexually assaulting 41 students during that time.

Counsel assisting the inquiry David Lloyd asked why the school refused to acknowledge key facts in BIW's case even after Trutmann had pleaded guilty.

"Can you see how a non-admission of a factual point that's already been admitted by Trutmann can lead to BIW thinking the school is taking a very hard-nosed approach to litigation," he asked.

"I can, yes," Mr Moore answered.

Mr Moore told the commission the school had already made some changes in the way it dealt with victims, because it stopped using the so-called "limitations defence" to avoid being sued in historical child sexual abuse cases.

He told the commission the school was looking at making further changes.

"That hasn't started yet — we've had initial internal discussions about the limitations defence, as I presented yesterday, but in the wider form of things it'll be a discussion that we'll have," he said.

Mr Moore told the inquiry that as the school's commercial manager, he was the person responsible for apologising to victims on behalf of the school, once a settlement had been reached.

He said he had no training in how to deal with the victims of sexual trauma, and admitted that might be a good idea.

Mr Moore added the school had provided no formal outreach or pastoral care to former students who came forward about past abuse.

Jeremy Kirkwood, chairman of the school council, told the royal commission he had been in court for most of the hearings into the school and re-iterated the school's apology to victims.

"I am profoundly saddened and upset by the evidence I have heard and read," he said.

"I can see that the hurt has significantly affected the victims and their families, and this was caused by the failure of the school to believe them, keep them safe and protect them."