Private school admits poor handling of sexual conduct complaint

A school says its approach to a complaint did not prioritise a 16-year-old victim's welfare more than 20 years ago. Photo / 123rf

By RNZ

A private girls' boarding school in Auckland has admitted it failed to address allegations of sexual conduct involving a staff member and a 16-year-old student more than 20 years ago.

Former staff member James Tibbles resigned from the school in 1998, and from Auckland University in December last year, over similar allegations.

St Cuthbert's Trust Board chair Hayley Buckley said in a statement that the staff member was suspended and then resigned soon after a 1998 complaint.

"While we do understand that the college made genuine efforts to address what happened at the time, we acknowledge that the college's investigation in 1998 and subsequent actions were not good enough," she said.

She added that the process did not prioritise the victim's welfare.

"We would like to express our deepest empathy to the other brave women from another institution who have also come forward in relation to this person's behaviour. No student or young woman should ever be put in this position and what happened was an appalling abuse of trust.

"What happened at St Cuthbert's should not have been kept confidential, and we would handle allegations of this nature very differently today."

Auckland University said that a former student made serious allegations against Tibbles in November last year, and he resigned at an investigation meeting in December.

In correspondence from 2018 published by Stuff, Tibbles admitted to the University of Auckland student that the "relationship was fundamentally inappropriate, and damaging".

He said in a statement to Stuff; "I have made mistakes in my past and now know that my mistakes have hurt people. That was never my intention, and I am deeply sorry. I do not believe it is appropriate for me to discuss these matters in detail. To do so would breach confidences in relation to matters that are deeply personal to me and others. Having recognised my mistakes, I have retired from music teaching."

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