I raised complaint with Benson-Pope, says Headmaster

David Benson-Pope

Cabinet Minister David Benson-Pope was told in 1997 about the "shower girl" complaints against him, the former principal of Bayfield High School Bruce Leadbetter said last night.

Mr Leadbetter said he told Mr Benson-Pope in September 1997 about parents' complaints that he burst into female dormitories, and a shower block, while 14-year-old girls were in various states of undress.

"I can recall the complaint and I can recall raising it with David Benson-Pope, who was the teacher in charge of outdoor education," Mr Leadbetter told the Otago Daily Times.

Late last night Mr Benson-Pope said through a spokesman: "That doesn't accord with information we have received from the school."

Mr Leadbetter's comments cast doubt on the assurances Mr Benson-Pope gave Prime Minister Helen Clark that he could not recall the complaint.

The comments also appear to contradict assertions in Parliament last year by Mr Benson-Pope that he was not aware of "any complaint of any kind" during his 24 years as a teacher.

Mr Benson-Pope's lack of recall in the face of the principal's admission stretches the minister's credibility and leaves his career in the balance.

Mr Leadbetter's statement is also likely to force a switch in Helen Clark's previous defence of the MP.

Both are expected to face an intense attack in Parliament today.

Earlier yesterday, Helen Clark said the school confirmed it had received a letter of complaint about Mr Benson-Pope's conduct at a school camp in 1997.

The school investigated and strengthened its code of conduct in response.

On Sunday, Mr Benson-Pope dismissed the allegations as a "nonsense". Yesterday when the Prime Minister was asked if she thought he had misled the public by saying the matter was "a nonsense" she said: "Well, you need to put that question to him. I really can't go into every in and out of something that happened eight years ago."

When the Prime Minister was again asked if it was "a nonsense" she said: "That is a question of what you think he was reacting to. Everything is context, everything is whether or not it is in line with school policy. I think his statement reflects the fact that he thinks he behaved consistently with school policy and certainly what I have seen suggests he has."

There is also speculation that Mr Benson-Pope may have misled Parliament when he said in May last year: "I have not been guilty of, or involved in, any inappropriate behaviour in my 24 years as a secondary school teacher. As well, I am not aware of any complaint of any kind."

Helen Clark said the events happened eight years ago and it would have been difficult for Mr Benson-Pope to recall.

"I regard David Benson-Pope as an honest person and I think he gave the answer to the best of his ability. I defy anyone to relate in great detail anything that happened eight years ago."
The Prime Minister said getting Mr Benson-Pope to answer questions was the media's problem.

National welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins said Helen Clark should admit she made a mistake appointing Mr Benson-Pope Social Development Minister. "He is a man who has shown himself not to be the Minister for Social Development or actually a minister at all."

The 1997 letter to Bayfield High School listed a number of complaints about Mr Benson-Pope.

It addition to saying he entered the female shower while two girls were showering and a female dormitory while girls were dressing, it detailed Mr Benson-Pope slapping a girl on the thigh and calling her a failure during an abseiling exercise.

Mr Leadbetter wrote back to the complainants saying he had received a "number of contacts" on the matter.

The letter said it was accepted that there was a "male presence" in the girls' dormitory. It said that no man should be in the girls' shower area.

Helen Clark said she was satisfied that nothing Mr Benson-Pope did was outside the school policy. 

 
Parents cite incidents from school camp trip

* Complaint

Our daughter xxxx of xx went to school camp from August 24 to 29. While she was there she experienced some very uncomfortable moments.

While xxxx doesn't have much confidence in herself, she did give abseiling a go, and once over the top she started to descend and lost her footing. Xxxx had to be lowered down. Xxxx was asked to do it again, which she refused to do. I feel that most people that haven't done it before would have been put off from trying again, and to expect her to do it again was wrong. After a short interval Mr Benson-Pope told everyone to go back to the van and xxxx was asked to stay behind. He asked xxxx to give it another go and she said "No" several times.

Mr Benson-Pope said "I'm losing my temper now, get up there," which was a grass bank. He asked xxxx to go back down it, which she did. He then asked her to do it again and said, "Listen to what I say, don't move your feet". Xxxx tried it, she felt she was going to fall and so she moved her feet. With that Mr Benson-Pope said, "Don't move your feet", and slapped her on the thigh. He told xxxx that he thought of her as a failure and this made him a failure.

Other incidence [sic] happened also.

1. That Mr Benson-Pope entered the girls' showers while the girls were showering and told them to get out.

2. Mr Benson-Pope walked on to [sic] the girls' dorm while they were dressing and stood there and talked to them.

I know how tiring and trying that a camp with so many children can be, but there really isn't any excuse for what Mr Benson-Pope did. There were five females in attendance at the camp and we both feel that if the girls had to be spoken to then it was better for one of them to go to them.

Everyone is entitled to privacy and both my husband and I feel that a breach of trust has been broken. We will not be allowing xxxx to travel anywhere with the school again if this is the standard of conduct from those in charge.

September 1, 1997


* Response

I write in response to your approach expressing concerns arising from the Form 4 Outdoor Education Camp. I have received a number of contacts so this is a full letter which covers all the issues raised.

At Bayfield we have a complaints policy in place which means that any complaint is investigated and once outcomes are decided, the person dealing with the complaint advises the person with the complaint and the responsibility level above.

In my case this means I advise you and the Board of Trustees Staffing Committee of the complaint and the response I have made. If the deputy principal dealt with a concern he would advise me and so on.

If you have continuing concerns please feel free to discuss any matter further with me.

Nobody likes complaints, however, there is often a positive side and I have been pleased to have been alerted to parents' concerns and it has been opportune to review procedures which have been in place for many years and do need to be revisited from time to time.

The concern of male presence in girls' areas. This is accepted.

The role of the camp leaders giving a wake-up call to campers (including tea for staff!) is to be modified. Male staff are to have responsibility for boys and female staff for wake-up of girls. Similarly, where practical, any further "hurry-up" calls will be the responsibility of female teachers for girls, or male teachers for boys.

In this camp I believe the night supervision was already referred to the same gender. In this camp either xxxxxx or xxxxxx ensured lights out and continuing quiet in the girls' dormitories. Where circumstances dictate a teacher from the opposite gender be required to enter the students' quarters a clear warning call and response should be given unless of course there is an emergency, such as perhaps a life-threatening situation.

The concern about staff entering showers.

The girls would know that anyone would have to navigate a screen wall and enter the cubicles themselves before there was any question of compromise of privacy.

No male person should be in the girls' shower area.

There is no question about anyone entering the showers, though students were certainly given a hurry-up message from the door.

However, as discussed above, the appropriateness of males carrying out such hurry-up duties is debatable and should, if possible, be carried out by females for girls and males for the boys.

Again thank you for your approach.

B.M. (Bruce) Leadbetter, Principal, Bayfield High School

September 12, 1997