Sarah Herrmann, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

A former student has claimed that Kadina Memorial School failed to act on warnings about grooming by former teacher and convicted paedophile Thomas Robert Ackland, and is suing the State Government for $500,000 over the abuse he experienced.

The now-adult student, who cannot be named, is one of 11 victims of Ackland.

In a claim filed in the District Court, the former student has alleged that, despite KMS being told in April or May 2018 that Ackland was having sexually explicit conversations with students on social media, the school took no action.

He alleged this lack of action had left him vulnerable to being contacted by Ackland in December of that year, and abused by Ackland throughout 2019, 2020 and 2021.

In his statement of claim, the former student alleged Ackland invited him to secretly add him on Snapchat in December 2018, then Ackland sent him naked photographs.

He alleged Ackland subsequently demanded naked images from him, Ackland exposed himself in class and pressured him to get his driver’s licence so they could have sex at his home.

“(KMS) counselled Ackland in relation to the inappropriate communication he had and continued to have … (but) continued to employ him,” he alleged.

“The abuse committed by Mr Ackland, post the school’s knowledge of the inappropriate messages, was foreseeable and preventable.”

Speaking to the YPCT, the applicant’s lawyer, Alice Taylor, said that while Mr Ackland had been convicted, in her view KMS had not yet been held to account.

“The school failed to take reasonable care to ensure the safety of the students and stop the abuse immediately,” she alleged.

“Numerous students came forward and were turned away when they needed someone to listen, believe and help them.

“Where the school and education department have let these students down, we must now step in to ensure this does not happen again and to ensure all parties are held to account.”

Ms Taylor said it was imperative the Department for Education ensured reports were fully investigated.

“They are responsible for the economic losses the brave victim survivors have suffered due to being abused during their formative years,” she alleged.

“Instead of hiding behind applications and adversarial litigation, we hope for recognition and change from the school and department.

“We know there are other students who were groomed and abused by Mr Ackland that are yet to come forward to claim for their injuries suffered.

“We would like to invite them to do so when ready.”

The Minister for Education and Department for Education were contacted for comment.

A spokesperson said the minister was unable to comment due to being on leave, and the department was unable to comment due to an ongoing court case related to the matter.

In December 2023, Mr Ackland was sentenced to 14 years in jail on 13 counts of aggravated communicating with the intention of making a child amenable to sexual activity and one of sexual abuse of a child.

The events, which are the subject of the charges, spanned from 2017 to just a week before his arrest in March 2021.

In his sentencing, Judge Paul Muscat said Mr Ackland’s communication with students via social media first came to the attention of a staff member in 2018.

The staff member had spoken to Mr Ackland about the safety protocols around communicating with students on social media.

In 2020, police received a Crime Stoppers report about Mr Ackland communicating inappropriately with students. 

This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 7 January 2025.