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Sexual abuse judgement sends ‘clear message’ to young survivors
No matter how long ago an atrocious act of sexual abuse against a child occurred, justice can still be served and perpetrators held to account, an abuse solicitor said.
Naomi Neilson
A former Toowoomba Grammar high school teacher who used her position of power to sexually abuse a 13-year-old student in 1996 has been ordered to pay the victim $1.45 million in compensation. The judgement serves as a “clear message” that there can be justice decades on, a Shine Lawyers abuse lawyer said.
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“The judgement sends a clear message to all survivors of abuse that the criminal law process is not their only option for seeking justice by holding their perpetrator responsible,” Callum Copland said, adding that victims find it especially hard to come forward and navigate the “complexity and reluctance” if the perpetrator is female.
“Sexual abuse by a female perpetrator is not commonly spoken about but what we are seeing is an increase in survivors who are finding the courage to come forward and disclose their abuse which was perpetrated by a female.”
The three-week trial, led by Shine Lawyers, revealed that the teacher Meredith Rawlings pursued the “relationship” for 18 months, visited the student’s family property and allowed him to stay over at her house. Justice Soraya Ryan confirmed it was sexual abuse and added that Ms Rawlings often lied about “many matters”.
Justice Ryan found the defendant abused her position of trust over the plaintiff, who was particularly vulnerable at 13 and living away from home. Multiple letters written by Ms Rawlings to the victim were used as evidence in the trial along with testimony of former students who recalled the teacher acting inappropriately.
Commenting on the win, the victim said: “It’s been a long time coming but today I am breathing a huge sigh of relief knowing that the court believed me and I could see the shocking impact this has had on my life since a young age.
“I hope that anyone out there who is placed in a vulnerable position can now know that they will be believed, and can speak up. I was nowhere near old enough for that sort of grooming, it was incredibly confusing.”
