DVD: youth expelled attack ‘tip of iceberg’

Hamish Heard
A Geelong school has expelled a student for allegedly filming a sex attack on a Jan Juc schoolgirl.
And Geelong’s sex assault counselling centre warned the incident was just the tip of the iceberg for young local girls falling prey to cyber perverts.
Kardinia International College principal John Goodfellow yesterday said the school had expelled three students for involvement in producing or distributing a DVD of the attack.
One of the students, from Werribee, allegedly filmed the assault.
Youths burned images of the attack to DVDs for sale throughout schools in the region and posting on the internet.
Discovery of the assault images sparked widespread community outrage.
Sexual Crimes Squad Detective Acting Inspector Simon Clemence said police were questioning 14 youths aged 16 and 17 over the incident yesterday.
“It’s possible that some Geelong youths may be involved but any confirmation is pending the outcome of our investigation,” Det Insp Clarence said.
The youths faced charges including commercial distribution of child pornography and rape, he said.
He confirmed police were probing students from “at least one” Geelong school.
One of the suspects, whose full name was listed in the DVD’s credits, refused to comment when contacted by the Independent yesterday.
Det Insp Clemence said police could charge anyone holding a copy of the DVD with possessing child porn.
But police had offered an amnesty to people handing in the DVD.
Geelong Centre Against Sexual Assault senior counsellor Sarah Joyce said the assault was part of an alarming rise in technology-related sexual crimes across the region.
Incidents included schoolboys bombarding classmates with images of themselves performing “indecent acts” and other forms of sexual intimidation.
The Jan Juc girl’s father told ABC radio his 17-year-old daughter was traumatised after her treatment at the hands of around a dozen youths in Werribee.
Ms Joyce encouraged victims of sexual assaults, bullying or intimidation to contact the counselling service on 1800 806 292.
The free counselling service offered qualified psychologists and social workers for victims as well as families suffering from sex crimes.