EXCLUSIVE
A 15-year-old boy who allegedly has a ‘disturbing infatuation’ with sexual violence has been charged with sexually assaulting another male student, prompting questions about why he was allowed to attend a special needs school.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal alarming claims of a child protection failure by the NSW Department of Education, after Jacob* was charged with sexually assaulting another Year 9 boy, Tom*, between July and September last year.
NSW Police allege the assaults allegedly occurred both on and off school grounds and came after Jacob befriended Tom, who has autism, on Snapchat and began bombarding him with sexually explicit images.
Jacob then allegedly performed sex acts on Tom – so sickening they cannot be detailed in print – and whipped him across the back five times with a rope, a police fact sheet tendered in children’s court said.
A teenage boy, 15, with a history of child sex offences has been charged with allegedly sexually assaulting a schoolmate on campus
Police will allege Jacob’s behaviour towards Tom took a massive toll on both the boy and his family, and that when Tom tried to distance himself from the friendship, Jacob threatened to self-harm.
In court documents, NSW Police allege that Jacob is a repeat child sex offender, with a history of ‘continually displaying unsolicited and unwanted sexual (offending) toward other people without their consent.
‘The young person has a disturbing infatuation for (inflicting) sexual conduct upon others and himself,’ the document claimed.
‘(He also) displays violence towards his victims when they do not comply with his demands.’
How police investigation took shape
A whistleblower told Daily Mail Australia concerns were raised with the school about Jacob’s behaviour in August 2023 after students had disclosed alarming information to their families.
The whistleblower said the school was told Jacob had been allegedly sending explicit pictures to peers and asking for others in return and pressured other pupils into performing sex acts.
Jacob had also allegedly boasted to peers that he had been charged with raping a younger relative, which had resulted in him being removed from his family home and placed in out-of-home care.
However, the whistleblower claims school staff dismissed the alleged behaviour as ‘boys being boys’ and argued that the known sex offender ‘had a right to go to school too’.
Tom’s relatives took it beyond the school and reported the matter to police and an investigation was launched.
Jacob was subsequently charged in December with four charges relating to his interactions with Tom, including sexual assault, physical assault, stalking or intimidation and using a carriage service to send indecent material.
However the whistleblower claims that even while police were investigating, Jacob was permitted to remain enrolled at the school until he was finally forced to leave in January.
During that time, Tom was initially forced to continue going to the same school as his alleged attacker before he eventually refused to attend.
The court documents claimed that during that time Tom ‘(has) become reclusive in fear of being attacked by the young person’.
‘The victim and his parents believe he can no longer attend the school due to the young person’s sexual and aggressive behaviour towards the victim.’
The matter currently remains before the children’s court.
According to court documents, the alleged assaults had a massive impact on Tom, who became reclusive and refused to go to school
Since being charged in December, Daily Mail Australia understands Jacob has been charged with multiple other offences that relate to separate matters.
NSW Police but told Daily Mail Australia it could not comment on the police investigation as the matters are before the children’s court.
Education Minister Prue Car was approached for comment.
School system under fire
A former employee of Youth Justice NSW’s sex offender program – which oversees support services for accused youth – told Daily Mail Australia the school would likely have been aware of Jacob’s criminal background.
The ex-child protection worker said a comprehensive review of the child’s history would have been undertaken at the time of enrolment, given that he was enrolled at a special needs school.
She said any red flags or behavioural issues – including previous interactions with police – would have to be documented by staff as part of the intake process and in creating behavioural plans for students.
Furthermore, she said any additional information that later arose would have been added to the student’s file.
However, the insider said the failure of the school to enact a safety plan to effectively manage Jacob’s sexualised behaviours exposed systemic issues within the education sector.
While staff at special needs schools may be trained to assist students with some behavioural issues, the insider said recognising child sex abuse risk factors is a specialised skill that many teachers do not possess.
‘Schools often don’t have enough staff with specific training to recognise risky sexualised behaviours,’ she said.
‘As a result, other students are placed at risk and the child displaying the concerning behaviour is not offered support to help them overcome it.’
The incident raises questions about how many teenage child sex offenders are currently in NSW schools without proper provisions in place to protect other students.
Daily Mail Australia put questions to NSW Education Minister Prue Car
While Jacob also has a right to an education, a school whistleblower accused the school system of being grossly negligent by failing to act decisively when concerns were raised.
‘The school has a duty of care. You send your children to school, you think they are going to be safe,’ they said.
‘They knew. They were very much aware of it.
‘But they have done nothing to protect them [the other students].’
The NSW Department of Education declined to comment on the record.
* Names changed for legal reasons
For confidential support contact:
Lifeline 13 11 14
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800
1800 RESPECT
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