A survivor of sexual abuse on Dilworth says the school should be closed or an independent commissioner appointed to ensure the students are safe.
Speaking from his home in Amsterdam, Mark Staufer said the commissioner should live at the Auckland boarding school which is startled by sexual abuse.
“That has to happen tomorrow. When I think of myself… a boy like me, back in that school, every day counts, every hour counts.’
The former radio personality is now a screenwriter and is working on a miniseries about Dilworth. He said the independent commissioner or ombudsman should remain at the school until the school’s investigation into sexual abuse has its findings.
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“Things like this don’t just disappear, they’re systemic and multi-generative,” Staufer said.
GOODS
Auckland’s Dilworth School leaders apologize after six men were arrested on charges of historic boarding school abuse.
He said the commissioner could report to the investigation and provide an independent picture of the current environment.
In a statement, Aaron Snodgrass, chairman of the Dilworth Trust Board, said the school has instructed psychologists to review its child protection policies in 2018.
It had made changes since then, including setting up a special committee and hiring a full-time “security guard.”
Some of the cases that have gone to court show that decades ago the school received complaints about teachers but allowed them to quietly resign without alerting the police.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
Mark Staufer was abused as a child at Dilworth School in Auckland.
A complaint against Rex McIntosh resulted in dropping out of school in 1979. He went on to teach for another three decades and died before his case went to trial.
Ian Robert Wilson was honored as a “stimulating and inspiring teacher” in the 2007 book on the school’s history.
At the time, a suppression order kept his conviction for sexually assaulting a boy a secret, and Wilson was able to teach at the Manukau Institute of Technology before new charges were filed.
Ross Douglas Browne encouraged boys in the 1990s to masturbate in his class. Complaints about him led to his dismissal.
David White/Things
Rex McIntosh outside the Auckland court.
Browne was allowed to leave school and become Vicar of St Lukes Anglican Church in Manurewa.
Dilworth has previously declined to answer questions about whether complaints regarding Browne have ever been forwarded to the police or the Education Council.
stuff asked Dilworth if it would support the appointment of a commissioner or ombudsman.
The school did not answer the question. It’s the 68th question from stuff regarding specific offenders and the broader topic of child abuse that the school has refused to answer for the past two years.
An investigation into the extent of sexual abuse at Dilworth is underway, chaired by Dame Silvia Cartright and Frances Joychild QC.
Chris McKeen / Stuff
Former Governor General and newly appointed Member of the Order of New Zealand, Dame Silvia Cartwright to lead an investigation into historical sexual abuse at Dilworth School
A public finding is expected to be delivered by the end of the year.
Secretariat investigation chief Mike Wesley-Smith said the investigation did not have the authority to install a commissioner in the school.
However, he said the school’s current policies and procedures will be reviewed as part of the investigation.
Operation Beverly
So far, 11 men have been arrested and charged with historic sexual misconduct in Dilworth.
The police operation, codenamed Beverly, led to charges against teachers, staffers and volunteers associated with the boarding school and scout group.
Three of the suspects – Keith William Dixon, Rex Clarence McIntosh and Richard Charles Galloway – died before the trial was reached. They denied the charges against them.
A man, who has suffered name suppression, has also denied the charges and is yet to appear in court.
Others have been convicted of their transgression. They include former chaplain Ross Douglas Browneformer deputy director Ian Robert Wilson and former assistant caretaker Alister Grant Harlow.
Former music teacher Leonard Caveformer scout leader Graeme Charles Lindsaytutor Jonathan Peter Stephens and a man with name suppression have all been convicted of sex crimes.
Browne, Wilson and Harlow are serving prison terms, while Lindsay and Stephens are sentenced to house arrest.
Cave and the name suppression man will be sentenced later this year.
Anyone with information can contact the Operation Beverly team at (09) 302 6624 or by email [email protected].
Where can you get help with sexual violence?
Male survivors Aotearoa Helplines across NZ, click for more information.
Rape Crisis 0800 88 33 00, click on link for local helplines.
Victim Support 0800 842 846, sms 4334, web chat safetotalk.nz or send an email to [email protected].
the harbor Online support and information for people affected by sexual abuse.