QLD:Teachers' sex victims settle with church

AAP General News (Australia)
12-02-2010
QLD:Teachers' sex victims settle with church

By Kym Agius

BRISBANE, Dec 2 AAP - Catholic education officials have defended a decision to re-employ
a primary school principal who failed to deal properly with child sex abuse claims against
a teacher.

Five families whose daughters were sexually abused by teacher Gerard Vincent Byrnes
at a primary school at Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, have settled out of court with the
Catholic church.

But the families are angry that the principal who was in charge of Byrnes at the time
of the abuse has been given a new teaching job.

Toowoomba Bishop William Morris last year decided to sack the principal, and two other
senior education officers he spoke to about the claims, for serious errors of judgment.

A court ultimately found the principal, who cannot be named, not guilty of failing
to report the abuse claims to police.

Damian Scattini, a lawyer for the five families who reached settlements this week,
said they were angry the former principal had been given a relief teaching job in the
Brisbane diocese.

"They're very disappointed that he's back within the Catholic education system," Mr
Scattini said.

"This is what happens around the world. They end up somewhere else, being someone else's
problem."

Brisbane Catholic Education spokesman John Phelan defended the decision.

"Our attitude is that whilst we wouldn't employ him in the same sort of managerial
role that he had in Toowoomba, because he was found wanting in that regard, this role
as a classroom teacher is an entirely different role," he told AAP.

"We don't see that there is a problem.

"He has always remained a registered teacher."

In October this year, Byrnes, 61, was jailed for 10 years for his crimes against 13
young girls. He pleaded guilty to dozens of charges, including 10 counts of rape.

The abuse happened while Byrnes was the child protection officer at a Toowoomba school
from January 2007 to November 2008.

The Queensland government had lodged an appeal against the sentence, arguing it failed
to reflect the gravity of the offences and was not a sufficient deterrent.

Mr Scattini said the families were relieved their cases had been settled without the
added trauma of court proceedings. The compensation amounts will remain confidential.

"They are also grateful the church has this week made serious and genuine efforts to
do the right thing after the Catholic education system failed to heed the initial warnings
about this teacher," he said.

Bishop Morris again offered his apologies to the victims.

"I am committed to ensuring that our apology is supported by action," he said in the
statement on Thursday.

"The diocese sought to make the compensation process as uncomplicated as possible for
the victims' families."

Mr Scattini said his law firm expected to deal with another three of the cases in the new year.

AAP ka/tnf/crh/jl/apm

KEYWORD: ABUSE WRAP

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