A former staff member of St Bede’s College is before the courts in relation to historical sexual offending against students.

The accused faces four charges of assault on a boy between 12 and 16, and three charges of indecent assault on a man/boy over 16. He is due to appear in the Christchurch District Court on 5 November.

The charges relate to offending against three individuals who boarded at St Bede’s College approximately two decades ago.

Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Simmons says Police believe the alleged offender targeted those boarding at the school during this time, and the investigations remain ongoing to determine if there is any further offending not yet reported to Police.

“Police are making contact with students who boarded at the school over the identified period of time.

“We know it can be incredibly hard and at times distressing to report or talk about incidents of this nature, but we would like to reassure any victims of sexual offending we take these matters seriously.

“We have a number of officers and detectives dedicated to these cases, and we will ensure you have a safe space to report offending in confidence,” says Detective Senior Sergeant Simmons.

If any survivors would like to contact Police please contact Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Simmons at the Christchurch Central Police Station, alternatively you can report it online here, referencing the file number 230122/3143.

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