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The
Dominion Sunday Times
December 15, 1991.
When the enemy emerges from within
by Amanda Cropp
A trusted
teacher's aid sexually violated his pupils over 10 months.
In April Maori language assistant Arena Munro was sentenced to eight years imprisonment
for abusing pupils in his Christchurch
primary school class.
The charges, 13 of sexual abuse and one of physical assault, covered six
girls and a boy. Police say Munro was gradually working his way through the
whole class and describe him as one of the most audacious offenders they've
ever dealt with.
He abused children in the playground in front of other pupils. He sexually
violated a child in the girls' toilets and his use of condoms suggested the
offences were carefully planned.
As a language assistant Munro worked alongside a fully trained teacher and he
thought nothing of molesting children while she was busy in another area of
the open plan classroom.
The offending occurred almost daily for 10 months. Even when the first
allegations came to light, Munro was able to molest another girl before being
formally suspended.
A
bombshell
His arrest was a bombshell for parents who liked and trusted him. But his
seven and eight-year-old victims had seen another side. Munro was a
physically intimidating figure who yelled and swore at them in class. They'd
seen him knock a boy to the floor and they were frightened.
The case led to widespread debate about the difficulties of vetting school
staff. (Munro's employers had not asked about his criminal record and had no
idea he had been jailed for a sex offence in 1964). It also raised wider
questions about just how well schools are equipped to deal with allegations
of sexual abuse.
Detective Ken Legal of the Christchurch
child abuse squad spent nine months on the Munro case. He believes' it is
imperative that all boards of trustees have a policy on how to deal with
sexual molestation or neglect. Without these guidelines mistakes made at
Munro's school could very well be repeated.
Munro's molestation spree might have ended sooner if several warning signs,
especially his serious assault on an eight-year-old boy, had been followed
up.
An internal investigation by the school has only just been completed and the
board of trustees has declined to comment, on the outcome for legal reasons.
But The Dominion Sunday Times understands the teacher who saw the attack did
not report it to the principal. Had she done so Munro would very likely have
lost his job, preventing months of abuse.
The truth finally emerged on October 3 last year when Munro was away
attending a tangi. Teachers heard a playground rumour that he had been sacked
for putting his hand down someone's pants. A teacher took aside some of the
girls from his class and gave them a talk about telling the truth. The upshot
was that two girls later interviewed by the police denied that anything had
happened to them, even though other children had seen the abuse taking place.
When challenged by the principal the day after the playground rumour
surfaced, Munro denied the allegations, and almost immediately abused another
child. Later that day a parent told the school her child had made a
disclosure of sexual abuse during a counselling session and Munro was told to
stay away from school. On October 5, there was further discussion between the
board chairman, the principal and the parent. Munro was called to a special
meeting and formally suspended. The police were finally contacted by a parent
concerned that the school had not reported the matter.
Timing
crucial
Timing is "crucial for police investigations of child abuse and Mr Legat
feels the police should have been called in sooner. "A matter of half an
hour can be important," Mr Legat says.
Munro pleaded guilty to one charge of assault, four of sexual violation and
nine of indecent assault.
The chairwoman of the board of trustees and the then principal both admit
they were astounded by the accusations. Months before the offending came to
light the principal says there were suspicions that a child in Munro's class
was being sexually abused and the perpetrator was believed to, be a relative.
The principal discussed this with the public health nurse and counselling was
arranged.
So why didn’t the principal talk to the police when suspicions first arose
that the girl was being abused? "It never entered my head. Because it
was outside the school I didn’t think it was anything to do with the
school."
The mother of the girl concerned says the guidance centre at one stage
concluded that family problems rather than sexual abuse were responsible for
her behaviour. But later another daughter disclosed abuse by Munro.
The mother says the teacher's talk about telling the truth and the warning
that Munro could lose his job had seriously affected her daughter's recovery.
Detective Donna Scott interviewed the children. She says the signs of abuse
were subtle and could easily have been attributed to other things, such as
problems at home. A previously well behaved child suddenly became disruptive.
Another wore extra layers of underclothing and hid all her underwear.
Children had nightmares about monsters coming to get them and wrote stories
about running away from monsters or a bad man. The girls started playing more
with the boys, who were not sexually abused, as a form of protection. Where
the offender is respected and, liked it's very difficult for the children to
come out and say that he’s not nice, the loyalty factor is very strong with
children,” Ms Scott said.
The school board chairwoman says the board had no experience of what to do in
such a volatile situation and as an employer it had to follow correct
procedures for suspension and dismissal.
She now agrees the child abuse unit should have been contacted immediately.
"You can bring the police in at the rumour stage and they are not going
to react in a cackhanded way which is going to destroy someone's reputation.
If you make a mistake it's really really sad, but adults can stand on their
own two feet, children can't." The chairwoman says she has learnt not to
take anyone on face value. A man interviewed as Munro's replacement came
across as quite presentable, his application was supported by members of the
Maori community, and he was aware of the difficulties which the school had
experienced. For a variety' of reasons he was not short listed and the
vetting process went no further. Some months later the chairwoman read in the
newspaper that he had been convicted of a sex offence against a young woman.
Discussion
Although the Munro case sparked considerable discussion in education circles,
very little of that talk has been translated into action. Mr Legat is
disappointed that so few schools have followed the lead of Munro's school
board which has laid down reporting procedures for staff to follow when they
suspect child abuse or neglect. He says the policy provides a blueprint which
could be used nationwide. Teachers are urged to listen carefully to the
child, believe what they hear, and record the details accurately. Few
teachers seem aware that the first person told about an offence can be called
to give evidence of that conversation. "It can just be, 'Daddy touched
me and I didn't like it', that's enough. It proves that there was a
consistent statement made all the way, along."
Teachers are warned that the child's initial disclosure is a critical moment
which must be handled carefully. Mr Legat emphasises that evidential
interviewing is a specialist field and if adults wade in asking leading
questions they can jeopardise the police case. He says the involvement of outside
agencies such as police and Social Welfare is vital – the principal may be
the offender or may refuse to believe allegations of abuse made by a trusted
staff member.
Graphic: Donna Scott and Ken Legat. . . the experts should be called in
immediately
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