A disgraced Scout leader was urged to quietly resign from the organisation and warned if he appealed the decision it could jeopardise his full-time job working with Aboriginal children.
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Former regional commissioner of the Hunter Scouts, Allan Currie, told the second day of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney the suggestion was made to Steve “Skip” Larkins that he should resign from the movement in 2003.
Larkins had been suspended three years previously after a former Scout, known as AA, came forward and said he had been sexually assaulted by Larkins in 1992.
Before that, Larkins had been removed from face-to-face contact with Scouts in 1997 after complaints were made about him giving lollies to children at a swimming pool.
The inquiry heard that stories were also circulating in the community that Larkins had cavorted with children in the showers and had a Scout lie on his chest while he and the boy were alone in a tent.
A letter sent to Larkins following that incident said: “This type of publicity, as you would realise, is something that we in Scouts Australia can well do without”.
Counsel assisting the commission, Gail Furness, SC, put to Mr Currie his “primary concern was the reputation of the Scouts”.
“Probably,” Mr Currie replied, before adding he was new to the job and had no training in such matters.
The inquiry heard Mr Currie worked with other Scout leaders to persuade Larkins to quietly resign from the movement in 2003.
“If he wanted to appeal he could, but if anything came out that was defamatory to him it could cause some jeopardy to his employment,” Mr Currie said.
He said he knew Larkins was working in the “youth area” at the time, but he didn’t know exactly what type of job it was.
The inquiry heard that in 2000, Larkins gained work with the Hunter Aboriginal Children Services, and went on to become general manager.
“If he didn’t resign it might become more publicly known what had happened?” Ms Furness suggested.
“Yes,” Mr Currie replied.
Shortly afterwards, Larkins resigned from the Scouts.
The inquiry is investigating how Larkins remained in the movement so long despite the child sex abuse complaints being made about him since the 1990s.
It is also investigating how Larkins, who is now a convicted paedophile, ended up having parental responsibility for 19 Aboriginal children in a Hunter foster care service.
Larkins was jailed last year for possessing child pornography, forging documents and indecent assault.
The hearing continues.
