Headmaster ‘sorry’ for abuse of pupils
Print Edition
A former headmaster at one of Australia’s most prestigious private schools yesterday apologized after revelations that boys were groomed for sex by pedophile teachers while he was in charge.
Knox Grammar in Sydney, whose ex-pupils include movie star Hugh Jackman, has been the focus of a national enquiry into institutional responses to child abuse.
The royal commission has heard disturbing claims of abuse at Knox which allegedly happened between the 1970s and 2012, with one ex-student saying the school harbored “a large pedophile cohort.”
Ian Paterson was the principal for 30 years until 1998 and it is alleged that he failed to tell police about incidents of abuse and provided references for teachers later charged with sex offenses.
In a witness statement, Paterson admitted he made mistakes and said he was sorry for the pain inflicted on boys under his care at the day and boarding school.
“I should have known and I should have stopped the events that led to the abuse,” he said.
“My abject failure to provide for you a safe and secure place at Knox strikes at the very heart of a responsibility of a headmaster.”
Paterson has not been implicated in the abuse of boys, but the commission on Monday heard evidence that he inappropriately touched a girl on stage during rehearsals for a musical in 1989.
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