A witness has told the royal commission into child sex abuse how he felt “dirty, belittled and confused” when as a 12-year-old he was sexually assaulted by then Scouts leader Steve “Skip” Larkins.
He is one of three unnamed victims giving evidence at the first public hearing on Monday of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney.
Known as AA, he told of the ongoing impact of the experience, which he did not speak about until he was 20.
“I would burst into tears for no reason. Once I was in a car with my mum talking about TAFE and I just started crying.”
The abuse happened in Larkins’ house.
Before witnesses were called, the commission heard how despite two decades of complaints against Larkins, he was given parental responsibility over vulnerable Aboriginal children.
The then NSW Department of Community Services (DOCS) in 2003 did not carry out checks to see if Larkins was a suitable person to be principal officer at Hunter Aboriginal Children Services (HACS).
Ms Gail Furness, senior counsel assisting the commission, said it was not a regulatory requirement at the time that DOCS carry out such checks because HACS was a designated agency where the Children’s Court made orders on parental responsibility for principal officers.
However, while legislation did not mandate the DOCS check, “the Ombudsman was of the view that not doing so was a significant departure from good practice”, she said.
Ms Furness outlined how Larkins slipped through checks on his suitability to work with children for more than 10 years, sometimes by falsifying documents.
In opening Monday’s hearing, chief commissioner Peter McClellan said it was apparent that where an organisation lacked an appropriate culture, practices and staff training, there was a risk that sexual abuse would occur.
He also said that in some organisations there were multiple abusers.
“It is reported to us that when it occurs in residential institutions, sexual abuse is almost always accompanied by almost unbelievable levels of physical violence inflicted on the children by the adults who had responsibility for their welfare.”
Ms Furness said the commission would hear that HACS employees knew of text messages between Larkins and one witness, including one from the convicted pedophile saying: “Hey I love you but you should go home tonight so we don’t get caught.”
She said that in July 1997 the mother of one victim reported the abuse to police and it was investigated but not pursued.
The hearing continues.
