Anger after 'short term' for abuser

A Baldivis man who was sexually abused while living in a boys’ hostel has called for a change in the law after his abuser was jailed for six years.

Picture: Kevin Brown

Kevin Brown, 45, said the sentence given last week to paedophile Dennis John McKenna, who lived and worked in Rockingham when he was arrested, was ‘‘pathetic’’.

Mr Brown endured four years of abuse while McKenna was head warden at St Andrew’s Hostel, a government-run residence for rural based children who were attending Katanning Senior High School.

Hostel warden repeatedly abused young schoolboys

Dennis John McKenna was head warden at St Andrew’s Hostel at Katanning Senior High School from 1975 to 1990.

He lived in a flat at the hostel. In 1990 he was arrested after five boys reported that they had been abused by him at St Andrew’s Hostel. McKenna was convicted after a trial at Albany District Court and sentenced to six years and four months, although with parole he got out after 18 months.

In 2008, another man told police that McKenna had abused him at the same hostel. During a State Government counselling scheme, known as Redress, several more victims came forward, including Kevin Brown. In July this year, McKenna was arrested in Rockingham and charged with offences against six men at the hostel from 1975 to 1990.

He initially pleaded not guilty, although he changed his plea in September. On October 18, McKenna was sentenced to six years in prison. With parole he could be released in 2015.

Mr Brown has endured 28 years of mental anguish after what happened to him from the ages of 12 to 16 while at the hostel.

He dropped out of an engineering course at university and said he found it hard to trust people.

‘‘After I left school I didn’t want to know anyone from my school days,’’ he said.

‘‘I had friends there, but I never kept in touch with anyone. I was afraid of what they knew and what they would ask me.

"McKenna was a real manipulator. If he didn’t get to you physically, he got to you psychologically, and made friends with your family so nobody would believe he would do such a thing.’’

It was after marrying Tonia 17 years ago and having two children that daily life became harder to maintain as Mr Brown struggled privately with his inner turmoil.

Mrs Brown, 41, admitted that the abuse also took its toll on their marriage.

‘‘I didn’t know what was wrong with him,’’ she said.

‘‘I kept asking him, but he would just say he didn’t know.’’

Mr Brown continued t o be burdened by his memories until a breakthrough came in 2009 when a State Government scheme known as Redress was set up.

The scheme was open to anybody who had been abused while in State care to come forward for counselling and apply for compensation.

What followed was a traumatic year-long journey of counselling.

‘‘They asked me if I wanted to go to the police and I agreed. It was never forced on me,’’ Mr Brown said.

He said he never regretted telling the police, but felt guilty for not going to them sooner, as it may have prevented other boys being abused after him.

‘‘I didn’t think I would be believed, so I never told anyone. But the officers in the Child Abuse Squad were excellent.

They were very understanding and supportive,’’ he said.

Six months after the Redress counselling, McKenna was arrested.

The first time Mr Brown saw McKenna since his days at Katanning was at Perth District Court during the plea hearing.

‘‘I didn’t know if I would recognise him after so much time, but when I saw him i t brought it all back,’’ Mr Brown said.

When McKenna initially pleaded not guilty to the charges,Mr Brown was devastated at the thought of taking the stand to give evidence, but was relieved when McKenna later changed his plea.

Mr Brown said that although he does not forget what happened to him, he is in a ‘‘better place’’ now.

‘‘I am much stronger now,’’ he said.

‘‘It has been hard, but if I can give advice to anyone who has been abused and who kept it quiet, it is to talk about it. Tell anyone. I couldn’t have been more wrong when I thought nobody would believe me.’’

His wife said the family was still reeling from McKenna receiving what she described as as ‘‘disgustingly low sentence’’.

‘‘All kinds of things were taken into account, including his guilty plea. It’s ludicrous,’’ she said.

Mr Brown believes the case against McKenna was the ‘‘tip of the iceberg’’ and he claims there were other victims.

When asked whether the Child Abuse Squad had received further complaints, Det. Sgt Paul Youlden said investigations were continuing.

‘‘This is not over yet,’’ he said.