The man who accused a senior teacher at one of Queensland’s most exclusive private schools of historic child sex offences has told why he came forward after more than 30 years of silence.
Brenden Sheehan said the publicity around the child abuse royal commission, combined with the hope his words would encourage potential victims to come forward, prompted him to write a blog post accusing Brisbane Grammar School teacher Greg Masters of drugging him and sexually abusing him.
BGS issued a statement saying it had received no complaints about the teacher in his 21-year tenure and it is understood the teacher denied the allegations.
Mr Sheehan’s blog went live on Tuesday, the school became aware of it on Wednesday night and on Thursday morning Mr Masters was found dead in non-suspicious circumstances. Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
The 46-year-old expressed his extreme sympathy for the late teacher’s family but stood by his decision to write the post.
The decision to post was a difficult one but one he felt compelled to make as the October 16 deadline loomed for victims to come forward to give evidence to the commission about their experiences at BGS and St Paul’s School.
“I wanted to show some courage in talking about these matters because I know from my own experience … how difficult it is to both personally confront and to talk about what’s happened to you,” he said.