The head of English at Moriah College has been charged with possessing and sharing child abuse material.Credit:NSW Police
Moriah,a private school in Queens Park,sent a letter to parents on Wednesday saying it had been reassured by police that there was nothing to suggest that any of the alleged offences happened at the school or related to Moriah students.
“He was recruited in line with our stringent employment policy,which includes thorough referencing and child safety vetting,” the letter said. “Mr Reynolds’ employment at the College has been indefinitely suspended.”
Cody Michael Reynolds was charged at his Kensington home on Wednesday.
The arrest comes after another criminal case involving a staff member sent shockwaves through the school. Former financial controller Gus Nosti pleaded guilty to stealing $7 million,spending it on gambling and lavish holidays. He was sentenced to nine years in jail.
The theft was one of the issues that resulted in a controversial annual general meeting last year,when parents expressed dissatisfaction over HSC results,the fallout from the fraud,and doubts over the school’s ability to raise $81 million for a redevelopment.
An Australian Federal Police statement on Wednesday said the arrest came after another man was raided on the north shore last week after a tip from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children about child abuse material allegedly being uploaded onto Dropbox.
Analysis of the data led them to Wednesday’s arrest,the statement said. The Australian Federal Police allege the material was found on two mobile phones and a laptop at the house.