Former Geelong College Staff Member under Investigation after Ex-students Report Alleged Sexual Assaults
By Bethany Tyler
A CONVICTED pedophile sacked from a prominent Geelong school after failing to stop massaging male students is the subject of a new local police investigation. Reports have emerged alleging former Geelong College staff member David Whitcroft sexually assaulted a number of boarders in the early 1990s. Earlier this month, Whitcroft plead guilty to child sex offences at a previous workplace in 1982. He was sentenced to an 18-month jail term for five counts of sexual penetration with a 14-year-old ward of the state at the Sunshine Boys’ Hostel. However, Geelong College students have since alleged Whitcroft sexually assaulted several students while he was supervising boarders. They claimed Whitcroft was accused of groping a male student in a dormitory bed in 1993 and invited boys to his apartment for massages. The allegations, which are believed to be the subject of a new investigation by Geelong detectives, were not reported to the police at the time. Geelong College council chairman Hugh Seward said Whitcroft was employed on the non-teaching staff from 1989 to 1993. “His position was promptly terminated after disobeying instructions not to massage boys following training,” Mr Seward said. “As far as can be established by the current administration, no report of a sexual assault was made to Geelong College.” The former students have also claimed the school did not explain Whitcroft’s sudden departure to them at the time. Dr Seward said Whitcroft’s sacking showed the principal at the time was “uncomfortable” with his behaviour, but did not have evidence of a criminal offence to report. “Late last year the college assisted the police with its confidential investigation involving Mr Whitcroft during his time at Geelong College,” he said. “Around the same time we received general allegations from a former student, not a victim, that there had been sexual assaults by Mr Whitcroft, which we provided to police. “Although the college continues to assist Geelong sexual offences and child abuse investigative team, due to the nature of the investigation, details of the report have not been disclosed to the college.” Whitcroft was arrested last year after a statement was made to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, prompting a police investigation. Geelong College has recruited an independent facilitator to provide advice and counselling, and implemented policies and procedures to help survivors and protect students from abuse.
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