Home
About MAKO
Services
Contact
Prevention
MAKO/Files
Community Notification
Report
Referral
Profile's
Facts/ Stats
Online Dangers
Child Safety
MAKO Petitions
Research/ Resources
Books
DNA Info
Safety For Women
News/ Articles
Your Comments
Australian Politicians/ Contacts
Join
Sponsors
Donations
Links
|
A neonatal nurse from the Royal Women's Hospital has been charged with child pornography offences and a technician at the Royal Children's Hospital is being investigated over child pornography. A Royal Women's spokes-woman said yesterday that the registered nurse, a postgraduate trainee, was stood down on Friday when the hospital learned of the investigation targeting him. He was supervised at all times while working with patients at the neonatal unit, the spokes- woman said. "The hospital has no evidence or suggestion that he was involved in any inappropriate conduct while working at the hospital," she said. 'All we know is he is charged in relation to child pornography." The hospital yesterday wrote to parents of children in the neonatal unit, informing them of the charges and asking them to report any concerns. Hospital management were informing staff last night. The Royal Children's Hospital said the technician, who never had unsupervised contact with patients, was being investigated but had not been charged. "The hospital acted immediately when it heard of the investigation and placed the employee on indefinite leave pending the outcome of the inquiry," it said in a statement. A hospital spokeswoman would not say in which department the technician worked. She said police had seized his home computer. Meanwhile, Victoria's independent education union has accused the Catholic Church of setting an ugly precedent after a teacher being investigated over child pornography was told he could never return to the school, whether found innocent or guilty. The Independent Education Union, which represents staff in non-government schools, yesterday criticised the decision to stop Lachlan Wallin, 26, from returning to teaching at St Simon's Primary School in Rowville even if he was cleared. Mr Wallin is under investigation for allegedly downloading child pornography on to his home computer. The grade 1 and 2 teacher was suspended on full pay last week. The school and the Catholic Education Office announced on Monday that he would not return to the school. But union general secretary Tony Keenan said the move breached standard procedures, whereby teachers accused of wrongdoing should be reinstated if they were found innocent. "It's not keeping with the policy and it's certainly not keeping with the law," Mr Keenan said. "Clearly if this person is convicted, they won't teach, and the union has no problem with that. But we should not throw out all fairness in this." St Simon's parish priest Martin Dixon said the school had offered Mr Wallin counselling and would help him find a new job if he was cleared. "He could not come back here because no parent would have that confidence," Father Dixon told ABC Radio. A Sydney teacher charged in last week's police crackdown on child pornography was yesterday placed on suicide watch. Penrith Magistrate Paul Sloane imposed the alert following the deaths of four other suspects, even though the man had not expressed an intention to harm himself. AAP- (6-10-2004) Selma Milovanovic/ Farrah Tomazin |
2005. All Rights Reserved.
Legal/Disclaimer/
Privacy/
Terms Of Use.