AUSTRALIA
The Australian
Royal commission into child abuse hears that serial child abuser Gerard Byrnes was kept on teaching staff at Toowoomba school
MICHAEL MADIGAN THE COURIER-MAIL FEBRUARY 18, 2014
A QUEENSLAND Catholic school kept a serial child abuser on staff, disciplining him only with a letter and rehiring him a month after he retired.
The national child abuse inquiry was yesterday told the abuse escalated after the principal was first made aware of the behaviour and elected to handle the matter internally.
Thirteen girls were raped and molested by Gerard Vincent Byrnes before he was arrested.
Sitting in Brisbane for the first time yesterday, the inquiry heard how complaints were not investigated despite approved protocols in place for dealing with sexual abuse claims.
The events occurred within the last decade.
Royal commission chief executive Janette Dines labelled the case “confronting” because it was so recent and protocols did not protect the children from the attack.
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