AUSTRALIA
ABC News
[with audio]
The child abuse Royal Commission has heard more excuses about why senior Catholic Education staff didn’t report allegations of child sexual abuse by a teacher to police. Christopher Fry was in charge of child protection at a Toowoomba primary school when 13 girls were sexually abused by Gerard Byrnes in 2007 and 2008. He’s blamed workplace stress for not protecting students.
Transcript
MARK COLVIN: The child abuse Royal Commission has heard more excuses about why senior Catholic Education staff didn’t report allegations of child sexual abuse by a teacher at a Toowoomba primary school to police.
Christopher Fry was in charge of child protection at the school when Gerard Byrnes sexually abused 13 girls in 2007 and 2008.
Mr Fry has blamed workplace stress for not protecting students from Byrnes, but he accepts that he should have responded differently.
Stephanie Smail reports.
STEPHANIE SMAIL: These are the excuses paedophile teacher Gerard Byrnes gave his superiors when he was questioned about his behaviour towards students.
In a letter he writes: “It is correct my teaching style does include occasional and brief supportive or friendly pats on students’ arms, upper backs or shoulders and I have in the past allowed students to sit on my knee and returned a hug if I have received one. My limited contact with students has never been inappropriate, nor to my knowledge unwelcome.”
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