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Royal Commission: Hutchins School employee told to hang up on callers asking about alleged abuse

An employee at the private Hobart boys' school at the centre of a sexual abuse inquiry was told to hang up on some people calling about alleged abuse.

A royal commission is investigating the way the Hutchins School handled sexual abuse claims relating to a paedophile ring that operated at the school in the 1960s.

Documents released to the commission outline an instruction for a member of the Hutchins staff to "hang up" on some people calling for information.

A victim, known only as AOA, first approached the school in 1993 to get an apology for abuse he had allegedly suffered under paedophile headmaster David Lawrence in the 1960s.

After almost a decade of fighting for an apology, AOA took his complaint public in February 2002 by publishing an open letter about his sexual assault in The Australian newspaper.

In its second week of sittings in Hobart, the commission will hear from the immediate past headmaster of the prestigious Anglican school, William Toppin, known as Bill Toppin.

Mr Toppin is expected to be questioned over the memo which outlined how staff should deal with people calling about the letter in the newspaper.

In part, the directions said:

"It is possible we will get people masquerading as media ... if you are being 'heavied' and they won't go away, you should hang up on them and you will have my support in this matter."

Last week, the commission heard from Mr Toppin's predecessor, who denied the school cared more about its reputation than it did about former students who claimed they were victims of sexual assault.

Legal advice to limit correspondence

Legal recommendations to limit correspondence with AOA are also expected to be examined.

AOA wrote to Mr Toppin several times in the 1990s and 2000s.

"Maybe now is a better time to approach you and ask you to accept the validity of my report of sexual assault," AOA wrote.

"It sounds a simple request but the journey so far has been fruitless."

AOA had been denied an apology after he first approached the school in 1993.

"Clearly my report ... is not enough to establish a conclusion that I was assaulted ... in effect I have been told by the School Board to get lost," AOA wrote.

Mr Toppin forwarded the new request for apology to the school's board, who in turn forwarded it to the school's lawyers.

Lawyer Michael O'Farrell wrote back to the school and said: "I would be inclined not to take any further action."

The lawyer acknowledged Hutchins might want to take a more active approach with AOA.

"The concern which I have with that approach is that, quite some time ago, Dr Isles [a psychiatrist Hutchins got to examine AOA's 1993 correspondence] suggested that Mr AOA would continue to grind his axe," he wrote.

"I expect that continued correspondence will simply exacerbate the situation and provide Mr AOA with a tool by which to keep grinding."

AOA was not given an apology until just one month before the commission's public hearings, 20 years after he first raised the allegations.

The commission will hear from current headmaster Warwick Dean and Anglican Bishop John Harrower later this week.