A school was warned about a group of boys harassing a student in the months before she was allegedly sexually assaulted.

A school was warned about a group of boys harassing a student in the months before she was allegedly sexually assaulted.Credit:istock

In October 2019,before his daughter was attacked,the father repeatedly wrote to senior staff at the high school in the greater Sydney area asking them to take action against a group of year 10 boys who were intimidating female students. At least one of these instances involved a rape threat.

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“I believe that the school has a duty of care to ensure that this matter is dealt with in a fully transparent way,” he wrote in an email on October 19. “It is important for the affected girls to know they are safe at school.”

In another email,dated October 27,he asked that a recent incident of harassment be reported to police;that police be given the boys’ names;and that officers be asked to formally warn the boys about the law in relation to harassment and inappropriate behaviour towards women,and the legal consequences.

Over this period,the man’s daughter was becoming more and more anxious about the threatening behaviour of the boys.

The school held a year meeting to outline expected standards of behaviour and called in a police liaison officer to talk to the boys.

However,the parents of one of the boys refused to allow the officer to talk to their son and rejected any suggestions he had acted inappropriately. Friends also tried to cover up,and even took the fall for,that boy’s behaviour,sources told theHerald.

On November 8,2019,the girl - who had turned 16 five days before - went to a party where she was raped by the boy whose parents did not want him spoken to by police at school.

On January 28 this year the boy was charged with eight counts of sexual intercourse without consent,common assault (DV) and intentionally choking a person with recklessness. The matter is before the Children’s Court.

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The police investigation took months and it was more than a year between the attack and the arrest. During that time,the girl had to pass her attacker in the corridor at school. “That had a very bad impact on her mental health,” the father told theHerald.

When the boy was charged,the school suggested the girl leave her class a few minutes before the bell so she could get to her next classroom early to avoid seeing him in the corridor,the father said.

However,the father insisted the boy be the one required to leave class early. When that happened,his parents withdrew him and enrolled him at another school. It is unclear whether the other school was told of the charges. Both students are sitting their HSC this year.

“Girls can be raped by a boy in their school and even when he’s charged with that rape,the girl will have to pass him every day in the school corridor until the court case is heard,” the father told theHerald. “That is wrong.

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“The education minister has to establish a central database of school boys that have been charged with rape,sexual harassment or intimidation. If a boy charged with rape or intimidation moves to another school … the school needs to be warned so they can keep an eye on that boy.”

The girl’s family has taken out an apprehended violence order against the boy. The victim has been diagnosed with severe PTSD.

After writing three letters to Education Minister Sarah Mitchell’s office over a three and a half month period asking for information about his daughter’s case and incidents of sexual abuse more broadly,the father received a reply from the Department of Education last week.

It told him the Professional and Ethical Standards Directorate commenced an investigation into whether staff met their reporting and management obligations,and followed policy and procedure. It could take up to nine months to finish.

“The distress and pain that this incident has caused is clearly apparent in your letter,” it read. “I appreciate you feel incredibly strongly about this matter given the harm your daughter has experienced.”

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