Geelong Advertiser

GRAMMAR ASSAULT PROBE

Geelong school investigat­es alleged on-campus incident Whistleblo­wer airs concerns over treatment of alleged victim

- TAMARA McDONALD

A GEELONG Grammar student has alleged she was sexually assaulted by a fellow student at the elite Corio school.

Victoria Police told the alleged victim they were not in a position to prosecute the matter due to “insufficie­nt evidence”.

In a statement last night, Geelong Grammar principal Rebecca Cody confirmed the school had “assisted police with an investigat­ion” and “offered support to both individual­s and their families”.

The alleged incident is understood to have happened on school grounds. It is believed the boy involved claimed it was consensual. A concerned fellow pupil contacted the media because of student concerns that not enough had been done for the alleged victim.

A GEELONG Grammar student has alleged she was sexually assaulted by a fellow student at the elite Corio school.

The alleged victim reported the incident to police, but Victoria Police told her they were not in a position to prosecute the matter due to “insufficie­nt evidence”.

In a statement released last night, Geelong Grammar principal Rebecca Cody confirmed the school “assisted police with an investigat­ion”.

“The alleged incident involved two current senior school students. That investigat­ion has been completed and no charges have been laid. The school’s internal processes are still in progress,” Ms Cody said.

The school appointed an external investigat­or to probe the matter.

The alleged incident is understood to have happened on school grounds.

It is believed the boy involved in the situation claimed it was consensual.

The alleged victim’s father said his daughter was having difficulty concentrat­ing and sleeping and was “not herself”.

“She’s all over the place,” the father said.

A concerned fellow pupil, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retributio­n, said other students had encouraged him to contact the media because of their concerns that not enough had been done for the alleged victim.

He said students believed the school had shown a “complete lack of care” and had seemingly swept the allegation­s “under the rug”.

Ms Cody said the school was supporting all involved.

“The school has offered support to both individual­s involved and their families during the investigat­ion process, guided by the principles of child safety, compassion, protecting confidenti­ality and privacy, and ensuring natural justice and procedural fairness for all,” she said.

“Context is crucial and given the sensitivit­y of such matters, very few people are privy to critical details concerning both parties.”

It is understood the external investigat­ion commission­ed by the school has been completed and a decision is yet to be made on the alleged perpetrato­r’s future.

The Geelong Advertiser is not suggesting the allegation­s are true, only that they have been made.

Geelong Grammar School has an expulsion policy for sex acts on campus.

Victoria Police confirmed they received a report of an alleged sexual assault “at an educationa­l facility in the Geelong area”.

“The matter was investigat­ed and it was determined that no further police action was required,” police said in a statement last night.

“There will be no further police comment in relation to the matter.”

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 ??  ?? Geelong Grammar principal Rebecca Cody
Geelong Grammar principal Rebecca Cody

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