Top Melbourne private school Wesley College will pay more than $3 million to a former student who was sexually abused by both a teacher and school counsellor.
The college agreed to settle a claim with the ex-student, now in his 60s, during a trial in Victoria’s Supreme Court.
The man has suffered post traumatic stress disorder and depression for decades since first being abused by teacher John McMillan when he was 12.
The historical sexual abuse occurred when the victim was 12 years old between 1972 and 1974
The abuse occurred on several leadership camps run by the school when he was a student at its Glen Waverley campus between 1972 and 1974.
As a student at the Prahran campus he later was referred to school counsellor Stuart Heywood because he was struggling with school after the abuse by McMillan.
After revealing McMillan’s abuse, Heywood abused him during weekly counselling sessions over three years.
McMillan was jailed in 2016 while Heywood took his own life after being interviewed by police over the allegations.
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The man has suffered post traumatic stress disorder and depression for decades
The man said while those in charge of the school now bear no responsibility for what happened to him, the college was a ‘sick and dangerous place’ for some students in the 1970s.
‘That needs to be dragged out of the shadows,’ he said.
‘I know other children suffered like I did, and I want them to know that there is help and a measure of justice if you fight for it.’
His lawyer Michael Magazanik said the $3 million settlement, plus legal costs, was the largest payout he is aware of for institutional abuse in Victoria.
‘It reflects the gravity of the offending and the impact on my client over his entire adult life,’ he said.
He praised the man’s courage and tenacity in confronting the school in court.
The school is one of the most prestigious private schools in Victoria
Source: Daily Mail
