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Sydney student rape allegation: Video may 'still be circulating', private school fears

By Nick Dole

Students at a private school in Sydney’s eastern suburbs have been ordered to delete and report a video of the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl if they encounter it, amid fears it is “still circulating”.

A 15-year-old boy from the exclusive Cranbrook School has been charged with the aggravated sexual assault of the girl.

The incident allegedly occurred at a home in Bellevue Hill earlier in March.

Another 15-year-old boy, who attended Rose Bay Secondary College, has been charged with filming the assault and sharing the video on social media.

Waverley College, which is not linked to the incident, has warned its students they must report the video if they see it online.

The Acting Head of College, Graham Leddie, sent a letter to every boy in years 7 to 12 to ensure they “understand the right and wrong” surrounding the issue.

“There are rumors (sic) that video footage of this incident is continuing to circulate through schools in the eastern suburbs,” Mr Leddie wrote.

“This is appalling, upsetting and simply wrong if true.

“If you or anyone you know receives this footage, delete it immediately, do not look at it and report it to a family member, staff member or other trusted adult.”

While there is no suggestion that Waverley students have seen or distributed the video, Mr Leddie warned students that having the video on their phones “would constitute a serious offence”.

He also urged students to seek the help of counsellors if they needed to talk about the situation.

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“I’m sure there are many of you who will be affected by these disturbing events in some way,” he wrote.

Several private schools in the eastern suburbs are understood to have given similar advice to students following the incident, also warning them to report the video if they see it.

Schools doing ‘tremendous job’

The NSW Department of Education declined to comment on the action Rose Bay Secondary College had taken following the alleged assault.

“As this matter is before the courts, it is inappropriate for the department to comment,” a spokesman said.

The NSW Secondary Schools Principals Council said schools were doing a “tremendous job” educating students about their responsibilities online.

President Chris Presland, who is the principal of St Clair High School, said students were given face-to-face and online education about what is acceptable and what is not.

“There is a huge amount of proactive work in this space,” he said.

Mr Presland said pupils were warned posting videos of others without their permission may cause distress.

“Students are told all the time that’s unacceptable,” he said.

Mr Presland said Cranbrook School’s response to the alleged attack suggested policies were working.

“Their teachers handled it completely appropriately and reported it to police straight away,” he said.

“I think that’s good evidence that systems and processes are in place across the board to help manage these things.”

This post originally appeared on ABC News.


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