AUSTRALIA
ABC News
[with audio]
The royal commission into child sexual abuse has heard that a primary school in Toowoomba had a raft of child protection policies but failed to stop a serial sex offender from abusing more than a dozen girls at the school. The inquiry also heard that the student protection officer at the school did not, and still does not, understand the concept of how child can be groomed by sex offenders.
Transcript
MARK COLVIN: The child abuse royal commission has heard that a primary school in Toowoomba failed as recently as six years ago to stop a serial sex offender from abusing more than a dozen girls at the school. It happened despite a raft of child protection policies.
The inquiry’s first public case study outside Sydney is focusing on the abuse of 13 girls in 2007 and 2008. Their teacher Gerard Byrnes was found guilty of 44 offences. He remains in jail.
Today the inquiry heard from some of the parents of the victims who detailed the profound impact the abuse had had on their children and their families.
The inquiry also heard that the school’s student protection officer did not, and still does not, understand the concept of how children can be groomed by sex offenders.
PM’s Emily Bourke reports.
EMILY BOURKE: The girls who were abused by their primary school teacher, Gerard Byrnes, were either sworn to secrecy or were too afraid to speak out. And when they did, it took some time for their complaints to be taken seriously.
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