Greg Dubler is suing Knox for more than $1 million for ruining his life. Credit: It is one of “dozens” of abuse cases that have been brought against Knox, the majority of which have been settled. In the case of Dubler, his is one of five cases the law firm Koffels has pending against Knox, relating to claims for child sexual abuse occurring at the school from 1975 to 1986. “Knox and the United Church do all they can to settle every case as quickly as possible by paying the claimant fair compensation,” a school spokesperson who has been involved in the legal process told The Sun-Herald. “The challenge for both parties is to work out what that amounts to ... Knox and the Church cannot be an open bank book and pay damages which would never be awarded by the court.” Another six such claims brought by Koffels have been settled, spanning the same time period, involving abuses committed by Knox masters Bruce Barratt, Barrie Stewart, Adrian Nisbett and Damien Vance.

The Australian reported last Wednesday on the case of another Koffel client, Phillip Ashworth, who “alleges that between 1980 and 1981, English teacher Adrian Nisbett sexually abused him on multiple occasions.” Ashworth also claims that “Knox, via the Uniting Church entity that controls its ­assets, ‘knowingly or recklessly,’ covered up the abuse.” Nisbett and Barrett are just two of the teachers’ names that emerged during the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. All but Barratt, Greg Dubler’s alleged abuser, have been charged and convicted, though none have served time in prison. Barratt died in 1984. At the time of his death, Knox put Barratt’s name on a plaque with the words “He touched us all”. It was taken down as soon as allegations arose from multiple sources. Greg says that as the youngest boarder at Knox he was “an easy target” for severe physical and emotional bullying by the older boys. Once he was hung over a balcony by the ankle. But he did have one source of comfort. His art teacher Bruce Barratt began to pay him special attention. He would accompany him from the class room to the dormitory, and buy him treats after school – milkshakes, lollies and potato scallops up at the local Wahroonga shops. As Dubler recalls, the extra attention made him feel special.

“I began to trust Barratt and increasingly felt comfortable in his presence. With all the bullying going on I finally felt like I had made a friend at the school.” Then Barratt invited him back to his private quarters at Ewan House, where he was the master for year 11 and 12 boarders, to watch television with him. This, Dubler alleges, is when the abuse began. Barratt would cuddle Greg, touch his hands and rub his legs. He said “my parents did not love me and that they left me at Knox for him to take care of me … I recall him saying things like, ‘I love you’, ‘I will take care of you’.” The touching escalated, Dubler says, until they removed their clothes. The alleged details are explicit and distressing; suffice to say they involved masturbation, digital rape and Barratt performing oral sex on the boy. “I did as I was told,” Dubler says. He alleges the abuse was very regular over these three months. “He made me fearful to speak out as he made it very clear that I would be the one in serious trouble because it was my fault this had occurred.”

Loading “Barratt made me feel like I had been doing something wrong and I couldn’t tell anyone about it as it was my entire fault. I found this very confusing and did not know what to do.” Dubler adds: “My father was very anti-homosexual and I feared telling him about what had occurred as I believe he would have beaten me if he knew that I had been involved in homosexual acts.” He told no one for more than three decades, during which his life spiralled out of control. In his statement of claim he describes his guilt and shame, plunging school grades, disobedience, vandalism and petty crime, teenage drug and alcohol abuse, and his sexual confusion and experimentation with boys from school. While both his brothers became lawyers, one rising to Senior Counsel, Dubler studied catering at TAFE, failed in business ventures and struggled to hold down jobs, mainly in real estate and property development.

Dubler says he gambled away large amounts of money, and took cocaine and ecstasy, and engaged in sexual deviancy. His first two marriages broke down. He convinced his father to invest heavily in a development and lost that money – along with credibility in his family. “I went broke.” In 2007, Dubler heard news of another Knox teacher abusing a student, and all his trauma came flooding back. He went to Hornsby police station and reported his own alleged abuse at Knox, only to be told that the police could do nothing. Barratt, after all, was dead. Dubler’s parents, when he told them, went into denial, but later believed him – and then suffered terrible guilt. “I don’t blame them,” he says. His siblings believed him and he appreciated their support. But Dubler found various psychologists and counsellors of little help. At a low ebb in 2010, he found himself cleaning toilets in a Manly half-way house for drug addicts.

He testified at the royal commission, a milestone in his attempt at recovery. Now he is in his third marriage, a happy one. The statement of claim refers to him having suffered chronic PTSD, major depressive disorder, substance abuse and dependence, and pathological gambling. It is a similar story for Philip Ashworth, who was 14 years old when he alleges Nisbett directed him to perform oral sex, among other abuses. Ashworth says he has suffered persistent depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, drug abuse disorder and post-traumatic symptoms. “I will never recover,” he says simply, over the phone from Wellington New Zealand. “I am a broken man, and last year tried to take my life.” It is understood that Knox has been subjected to dozens of claims relating to abuse of students by its teachers. In support of their claims, the former students hone in on what the school, its principal and teachers knew or should have known about the now-established cases of sexually abusive teachers. Rather than contest the allegations Knox is focused on determining what is adequate compensation from the school.

It spokesperson said it was guided by legal advice as to what a court would award if these cases went to trial. “Where amounts are sought that are well and truly beyond the range recommended by our legal advisers ... Knox and the Church cannot be an open bank book and pay damages which would never be awarded by the court. Our one and only aim is to achieve a settlement whereby fair compensation is agreed to and as quickly as possible with as little stress to the claimant as possible.” Lifeline, 131114; Survivors & Mates Network (SAMSN), 1800 472676