Instead he gave a glowing court character reference
for a person who he knew had abused a 13 year old boy at his school.
Once again - Catholics in high power positions trying
to cover up sexual abuse -
trying to get their mates off charges in court.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-19/ ... s/11980008
St Kevin's College headmaster resigns,
dean of sport stood down following grooming scandal
By Louise Milligan, Laura Gartry, Mary Fallon, Lauren Day and staff
Updated 13 minutes ago
The headmaster of St Kevin's College in Melbourne has resigned and the school's dean of sport has been stood down following a Four Corners story about the college's response to the grooming of a student by a former athletics coach.
Key points:
Paris Street, who was groomed while a student at the school, welcomed headmaster Peter Russell's resignation
Edmund Rice Education Australia announced the school's dean of sport, Luke Travers, was stood down
The governing body said two other teachers were "not presently at the school" while they were being investigated
The Toorak school has been in damage control since a Four Corners investigation revealed the headmaster and the sport head provided references for convicted child sex offender Peter Kehoe, but did not support the victim during the court process.
Numerous current and former staff, students and parents from St Kevin's College told Four Corners the school had a history of failing to adequately deal with complaints of inappropriate behaviour.
Those complaints involved an allegation of sexual harassment and concerns raised by staff members about potential grooming and inappropriate behaviour towards boys by two male teachers.
Following the investigation, the State Government announced the education regulator would investigate whether St Kevin's College is compliant with child safety standards.
In a letter to parents today, headmaster Stephen Russell said that to prioritise the wellbeing of the school and students in the current situation, his best option was to resign.
"In my time at St Kevin's I have always tried to put the school before self and the students' wellbeing at the very top of my list of priorities. I believe the current situation means that the best way to achieve this is to resign," Mr Russell's letter said.
Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA), which oversees the school, announced the school's dean of sport, Luke Travers — who had also issued a employment reference and character evidence for Kehoe — had been stood down pending further investigations of issues raised during the Four Corners program.
Until the announcement, EREA had publicly supported Mr Russell throughout the scandal, saying Mr Russell enjoyed "the confidence of EREA as the leader of St Kevin's College."
