Former Jesuit brother charged with four counts of indecent assault, by Dan Box, Australian (February 01, 2017)

A former Catholic brother who worked at Sydney’s St Ignatius College, Riverview, which counts former prime minister Tony Abbott among its alumni, has been charged with indecently assaulting children during his time at the prestigious private school.

Victor Higgs did not enter a plea during a brief court mention yesterday after being extradited from South Australia. The 79-year-old former Jesuit brother has been charged with four counts of indecent assault, allegedly involving three victims, between 1978 and 1980.

Mr Higgs worked at the exclusive school, which also counts Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher and several Olympians among its alumni, for a decade from 1971, after transferring from St Ignatius College, Adelaide.

Riverview principal Paul Hine contacted about 6500 former pupils in 2015 asking them to come forward if they knew of any child sex abuse allegations at the school. The Jesuits referred a similar allegation, an incident said to have taken place at Riverview, to police a year before. Mr Higgs left the order in 2001.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has recently uncovered alleged historical child abuse at other Sydney private schools, including Trinity Grammar and Knox Grammar.

Lawyers predict many leading schools could face multi-million dollar lawsuits from hundreds of alleged victims who say they were abused as children.

Court documents show Mr Higgs was charged by the NSW Police Force sex crimes squad, which specialises in historical, serious or complex cases. He faces four charges, in which police allege Mr Higgs “did assault … a male person and commit an act of indecency on him”.

In a statement, Mr Hine and Australian Jesuit provincial Brian McCoy said the charges “do not involve any current teacher or student at St Ignatius College, Riverview”. The statement “strongly condemns any abuse of children or young people and offers an unreserved apology for the trauma caused by any Jesuit, lay staff member or volunteer who betrayed others in this way.’’