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Ex-police commissioner tells inquiry ...
news.com.au
Ex-police commissioner tells inquiry Hutchins headmaster confessed to sex abuse offences A 44-year mystery surrounding the sudden disappearance of a prominent private school headmaster has been solved during sensational evidence before a Royal Commission in Hobart. Former Tasmania Police Commissioner Richard McCreadie told a hearing of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse he was about to charge Hutchins headmaster David Lawrence with child sex offences. Mr McCreadie revealed Lawrence, and Hutchins music teacher Ronald Thomas both confessed to sexually abusing a student, but fled the country before they could be charged. He said he was a young detective constable in the sexual crimes unit in 1970 when he spoke to a young man who came forward saying Lawrence had abused him and subsequently attempted to hand him off to another pedophile. Mr McCreadie said he went to the school and spoke to Lawrence about the allegation. “Lawrence immediately admitted to that having occurred. I was somewhat surprised that he was so candid about it,” he said. “I proceeded to take a confessional statement from Lawrence. I informed him that it was likely he would be arrested at some time in the future.” He then spoke to Thomas, who also confessed. “We then informed Thomas that we were going back to the police station and we expected that he wound be likely to be arrested in the foreseeable future.” Mr McCreadie said he made arrangements for both men to present themselves to police to be arrested and charged - but both fled the country, Lawrence to the United Kingdom, Thomas to South Africa. “It didn’t occur to me they would be a flight risk. He was the headmaster of the school, and he was the head music teacher, so we were getting on with working our way through what the charges would look like and making the arrangement for them to present [themselves].” “It was my view the government at that time would not have approved the costs of an extradition. “In some way, I thought the problem had gone to South Africa and gone to England and that we were to get on with other things.” Mr McCreadie said he also didn’t consider it his role to inform the school that he had sufficient evidence to arrest two of its staff members for sex offences against children. The police files on the case are missing. Hutchins School Board chairman David Morris yesterday issued a statement reiterating an apology to the witnesses who gave evidence of abuse during five days of hearings in Hobart. “The Hutchins School Board wishes to apologise for the hurt and distress caused to each of them. “The Board accepts the four former students of the school were sexually abused by members of staff in the 1960s. “The Board recognises that child sexual abuse is a crime. The School has established independent counselling for former students affected by child sexual abuse.” The school’s current headmaster Warwick Dean told the commission more victims had come forward since the Royal Commission hearings were announced. “To date the school has receive nine contacts. All of them relate to the period of a Lawrence headmastership,” he said. He acknowledged that an apology the school sent to a complainant codenamed AOA should have been sent sooner. “It’s in my nature to be a person who says that if this is wrong, then this is wrong and I’ve never held back on an apology. “I can’t speak for other people’s behaviours but for my behaviours I would apologise for the length of time between when I became aware of it and when I made the apology.” The Commission will continue its hearings into Hutchins in Sydney on December 18, with evidence from two more witnesses. Relationships Australia is offering support for people affected by the hearings. Call 1300 364 277 or contact the Sexual Assault Support Service on 6231 1811.
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