A police investigation into a paedophile headmaster molesting a boy at an Ipswich private school in the mid 1990s was dropped partly because the deputy principal claimed the master was “not that type of person” according to the victim’s father.
Brother Dominic O’Sullivan was then able to stay on as headmaster at the St Peter Claver College at Riverview and make his victim feel uncomfortable by staring at him in assembly and lurking behind him in class, the victim later told police.
Br Dominic also known as Darcy John O’Sullivan was later convicted and jailed in the 2010s in New South Wales over his repeated sexual abuse of dozens of boys at Catholic schools in the 1970s and 1980s in Newcastle and Casino.
The Guardian & Tribune last week revealed how the Marist brother had been appointed to the headmaster’s job at St Peter Claver College in 1991 despite NSW students already having complained in the 1970s and 1980s about his abuse.
Br Dominic then went on to abuse a boy at St Peter Claver College in 1996.
He singled the boy out for special treatment and later groped him in the school’s sick bay, made him sit on his lap in his office and kissed him on his head while rubbing the boy’s backside.
The boy’s father reported the abuse to the school and to police in mid 1996 but partly as a result of receiving reassurances from the then deputy principal Paul Thomas Blundell, the father opted to drop the police complaint.
Statements given to police and tendered to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse document the father’s meeting with Mr Blundell in mid 1996 to make a complaint about the abuse.
The father stated to police that Mr Blundell was “completely shocked” by the allegations.
He said Mr Blundell told him that Br Dominic was “a good person and just loved kids”.
“I recall Mr Blundell said: “He’s [Br Dominic] not like that at all and he would not do anything to hurt children”,” according to the father’s statement.
Mr Blundell then reassured him saying that he had known Br Dominic for years and he’s not that type of person, says the statement. Mr Blundell told him that he would speak to Br Dominic.
The father stated he declined Mr Blundell’s offer of setting up a meeting with Br Dominic and did not receive any more feedback from the school about how they dealt with his complaint.
The father said a few weeks later he told the police not to pursue the matter and his decision to drop the complaint was based on the fact that no further complaint had been made about Br Dominic and that Mr Blundell was “quite sincere when he told me he didn’t believe Br Dominic was that type of person”.
The father said his reasoning in dropping the complaint was also because of the possible impact on his son if there was an investigation.
The son who was code-named CNO in the Royal Commission evidence also later confirmed to police that he was encouraged to drop the complaint by his father after his father had met with Mr Blundell.
“I just did what I was told by dad and I later discontinued the complaint with the police,’’ he said in a 2015 police statement.
The victim said afterwards he had been made to feel uncomfortable by Br Dominic.
He said as a result when Br Dominic saw him at assembly, the Brother had looked at him and shook his head.
Another time, he said he was sitting in computer class and Br Dominic came up behind him and while the Brother said nothing, he could feel his presence behind him and it “made me feel very uncomfortable”.
Mr Blundell gave a statement to police in 2015 about the incident and said that he did not remember the exact conversation with the victim’s father.
But he said he himself had reported the matter to Brisbane Catholic Education and also told the father to talk to the local police.
Mr Blundell recalled having a formal meeting with Brother Dominic and Catholic Education officials at the Catholic Education office on July 16, 1996.
He said he recalled Br Dominic agreeing to a “hands off approach” to students and that responsibility for any action in relation to Br Dominic had lain with the Director.
Mr Blundell said it was the first and only complaint he received about Br Dominic.
He also told police that “Brother Dominic was a very good principal.
“In his time he raised the academic standard and built a strong culture and vision for the school,’’ Mr Blundell stated.
“He was a big man and would frequently wear his Marist robes. He had a dignified presence about him at the school. The students respected him.”
Mr Blundell revealed to police that the school drew on a “very poor housing commission area” and had a hearing impaired unit, a special education unit and an English as a second language unit and was “a real cultural melting pot of poor families in need”.
“There were often situations where students needed significant personal support from staff,’’ he said.
Mr Blundell said he stayed in touch with the father of the victim for six months after the incident to keep him informed of Brisbane Catholic Education’s response to his concerns.
Mr Blundell was contacted by the Guardian & Tribune but declined to comment.
By 1997, Br Dominic had left the school and was sent to the ‘Wellsprings Sabbatical - Renewal Program’ in Chicago in the United States.
On his return in 1998, the Marist Brothers offered him a job as the Novitiate in Lomeri Fiji but Br Dominic declined the role.
The Marist Brothers considered appointing him to another headmaster role including as head of Marist Brothers Ashgrove School in Brisbane, but principals at the schools expressed “reservations” and he was not appointed.
The Royal Commission’s report into his case found that he was sent on the Wellsprings program because the then head of the Marist Brothers believed it would assist him in dealing with “boundary violations”.
However official minutes taken by the Marist Brothers Provincial Council documenting a meeting about his appointment being scrapped, recorded the reason as being over his “ill health”.
The Commission found the minutes were “misleading”.
Br Dominic was later appointed to be assistant community leader and personal assistant to the principal of Marist Brothers Ashgrove boys boarding school in Brisbane from 2005 to his retirement in 2010.
The Royal Commission found the appointment of Br Dominic to a roll at Marist Brothers Ashgrove school in Brisbane was wrong and it “put children at that school at risk of sexual abuse”.
A spokesman for Catholic Education said all the actions taken in relation to the complaint about Brother Dominic were in accordance with all the practices at the time.
The spokesman said in accordance with the practice at the time, the Deputy Principal encouraged the parent to report the matter to the police.
“Police undertook an investigation. Br O’Sullivan was not charged as a result of that investigation,'' he said.
“The Deputy Principal also advised the Brisbane Catholic Education Office (BCEO) of the concern raised by the parent.”
The spokesman said a result of enquiries made by BCEO senior staff, and information gained from police, Br O’Sullivan was not removed from his position.
He said since this time there had been significant developments in child protection policies and procedures specifically relating to schools and the way in which complaints such as this were now managed.
“The processes are intended to ensure that the steps taken at all levels will result in prompt, professional, sensitive and appropriate action being taken. These changes have been made for several reasons including the distressing stories of survivors over many years,” he said.
“We respectfully acknowledge survivors for their bravery in telling their stories. Our priority is always to ensure that the young people in our schools are safe and protected from harm.”
The spokesman said BCE was not aware of compensation provided to any former student of St Peter Claver College in respect of allegations relating to Br O’Sullivan.
“BCE has never been responsible for the governance or administration of Marist Brothers College Ashgrove. Any enquiries relating to schools governed by the Marist Brothers should be directed to Marist Schools Australia.”
The spokesman said Catholic Education's records from the time do not show they were informed about any complaint in regards to Br O'Sullivan from the 1970s or 1980s.