Allegations of sexual abuse at St Peter’s School: detectives to meet with principals

[ad_1]

Saint-Pierre school in Cambridge. Photo / Supplied

Detectives are due to meet with the management of a private Hamilton high school to discuss historic child abuse allegations spanning nearly five decades.

St Peter’s School Trust board chairman John Macaskill-Smith yesterday admitted the historic abuse and apologized to the students who suffered at the hands of former staff.

An investigation of records collected between 1936 and 1981 found that 19 boys at Cambridge Private School had suffered sexual, physical or emotional abuse in cases involving eight staff members.

Today, police confirmed that they are in contact with the school following the statement released yesterday.

Detective Inspector Graham Pitkethley said detectives would meet with the school’s management team to discuss the issues raised in the statement.

“We encourage anyone who wishes to speak to the police about the issues raised in the school’s statement to contact us,” Pitkethley said.

“Any allegation of a potential criminal offense will be carefully assessed and investigated by the police.

“We want everyone who has been sexually assaulted to know that there is help and support available.”

There are about 40 staff from the Waikato District Sexual Assault and Child Protection Teams who are trained to investigate allegations of sexual assault, Pitkethley said.

Macaskill-Smith said most of the eight staff members involved were either very old or dead, while the fate of the others is unknown.

“We know that a couple were prosecuted for abuse while teaching.”

He also encouraged other alumni to come forward. Survivors can receive compensation.

After digging up the old records, psychologist Dr Suzanne Blackwell was asked to examine all of the information that had been gathered and how it had been handled.

The review found that in some cases school leaders dealt with complaints appropriately, but in other cases perpetrators were not held to account.

A confidential listening service was also provided so that former students could speak to qualified psychologists.

You can find more information about sexual assault, how to report it and the help available on the police website.

The apology comes after St Peter’s made headlines earlier this year when its executive director Dale Burden and his wife and executive director Yvette Williams disappeared from the school at the end of the first term following complaints filed with of WorkSafe for bullying.

Burden resigned at the end of May, followed by the school’s welfare director, Micheal Brown, who left in June. Williams resigned in August to pursue a doctoral program in educational leadership.

[ad_2]