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Elite private school principal says he did not follow up on claims boys were 'raped with a wooden sex toy' because he was busy with HSC trial exams

By Rachel Eddie
Daily Mail
October 24, 2016

https://goo.gl/IhQZWh

A boy claimed older students at Sydney's Trinity Grammar (pictured) had raped him with objects more than 50 times

Principal Milton Cujes was questioned by the royal commission into sex abuse (commissioners are pictured) on Monday about his response to multiple claims of rape and simulated rape in the boarding school dormitories

Commissioner Peter McLellan (pictured on Thursday) pressed the matter: 'If a serious incident of this nature was not reported to you, and appropriate reporting to the authorities was not taken, it suggests a failure in the management of your school, doesn't it?'

Mr Cujes admitted the school failed to conduct a proper investigation

The principal of an elite private school has admitted allegations boys were raping fellow students with implements were not properly investigated.

A boy, known as CLB, claimed older students at Trinity Grammar had tried to rape him by 'lifting his legs in the air and pumping at his bottom' on August 11, 2000.

CLB reported the incident to the Summer Hill, inner-west Sydney, school the same day with allegations they had raped him with objects more than 50 times. He said they had been sticking a 30cm wooden dildo made in wood-tech class up other students' bottoms.

Principal Milton Cujes told the royal commission into child abuse the school had to decide on a punishment for the culprits 'in the context of a Friday afternoon' ahead of trial HSC exams the following week.

Mr Cujes said he trust three other staff – his deputy, the boarding house master and the school counsellor – to handle the allegations, and that he adopted his deputy Peter Green's recommendation to suspend the students responsible for the weekend.

He was questioned on Monday about his response to multiple claims of rape and simulated rape in the boarding school dormitories.

He said the school response was 'adequate' considering the HSC trial exams which started the following Monday could not be stopped.

'In the context of the Friday afternoon before the trial examinations we needed to act and demonstrate that it was completely unacceptable, hence the endorsement of the suspension, he said, Daily Telegraph reported.

When asked how he followed up the allegations, Mr Cujes said two weeks 'were taken up with exams'.

Mr Cujes claimed he was only aware CLB had his face blackened with boot polish in a 'dorm rumble that got out of hand'.

'I didn't read [CLB's incident] report sir, that's not my recollection,' Mr Cujes told counsel assisting David Lloyd.

CLB told the school counsellor, Katherine Lumsdaine, the same boys had used a variety of pole-like objects to rape him more than 50 times.

Ms Lumsdaine reported the incident to the deputy, Mr Green, but he did not pass it on to Mr Cujes, the principal told the commission.

His recollection contradicted Mr Green, who last week told the commission he had provided Mr Cujes with incident reports.

Mr Green said he had even spoken with the principal about the allegations of assault, and Mr Cujes had 'reacted in shock', ABC reported.

Two months passed before CLB's family were notified of the abuse allegations.

The only person who stressed the need for formal investigation was Ms Lumsdaine, the commission heard.

Mr Cujes admitted the school failed to conduct a proper investigation.

'We failed in that sense,' Mr Cujes said.

'And that's a failure by you, isn't it?' Ms Lumsdaine's lawyer Peter O'Brien asked.

'I'm involved in that,' Mr Cujes replied.

Commissioner Peter McLellan pressed the matter.

'If a serious incident of this nature was not reported to you, and appropriate reporting to the authorities was not taken, it suggests a failure in the management of your school, doesn't it?' commissioner McLellan said.

Mr Cujes, who is still principal of the school, said his role was to be a 'court of appeal' and he did not investigate incident reports.

He denied the school tried to 'hide things under the carpet'.

The hearing continues.




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