FACING THE MUSIC

On 3AW yesterday I detailed  the sordid behaviour of student molesting music teacher named Sigmund Sokolowski. He taught singing and trombone at two secondary schools in the southeastern suburbs and at his home in Carlton during private tutorials from 2003-05.

In Melbourne Magistrate’s Court he pleaded guilty to charges of indecently touching 10 young female students.  He claimed he was checking their breathing and posture.

Sokolowski patted 14 to 18-year-old students on the bottom and on the knee, grabbed some on the breasts, kissed one on the lips and ran his fingers up the back of one girl under her shirt. He put his head in one girl’s lap.   He told a 14-year-old ‘You have got really great boobs, you should wear low cut tops to show them off.’

His defence lawyer, in my opinion, put forward a shameful excuse for this abhorrent behaviour. John Willis said Sokolowski was a flamboyant extrovert who had overstepped the mark. Yeah sure.

‘What you have got is, on the face of it, classic continental, touchy feely, enthusiastic, passionate and extremely capable teaching . . . against that background you have got behaviours that are clearly inappropriate’.

Well, it’s much more than that, Mr. Willis. I’ve done some checking on your flamboyant, continental’ client. I said yesterday, if he was pleading guilty to indecently assaulting ten girls there must be more. And there were.

One e-mail I got from a concerned adult, I suspect a parent, said  ‘There are a lot more victims than 10 and over a very long period. He has been on these charges for a long time, but nothing would stop him. He is still teaching a lot of young children at his 24 Lee St Carlton home, touching and groping’.

I can reveal Sokolowski’s criminal behaviour goes back at least ten years. And covers lots of other schools including Catholic schools and Wesley College.
Heaps of people in authority have known about him and have covered it up, hoped it would go away or transferred him.

Take Emmaus College in Burwood in 1999. An emergency teacher thought he was replacing a sick tutor. It was Sokolowski. He was sick alright. Sick in the head. He’d been stood down because he was being investigated for inappropriately touching young girls at this school. That teacher has told me ‘I found this out from the girls whom he had touched. I also found out directly from one of his 15 -year -old students that he was having sex with her and it was her parents who were pressing charges against him.

‘I immediately reported this to the principal of the school. The Principal told me that the parents had that day, decided to drop the charges and all we could do now ‘ is hope that the matter goes away’. I also reported the matter to the Catholic Education Office.’

Sokolowski was dismissed –but not until the end of the year. This concerned teacher says ‘I have written to the Catholic Education Office a number of times enquiring as to what lengths they went to to prevent this man offending again. What responsibility and what lengths did they take to protect children being violated in such a vulgar manner? They have not responded in any way.

I also contacted Crime Stoppers to make sure that they were aware of this man’s past alleged offences. They at least replied saying that they were aware of this man but could do nothing because he was not formally charged’.

Sokolowski penchant for young teenage girls was well-known in Melbourne’s music circles and he was despised by many musicians. But that didn’t stop him assaulting girls attending at least five schools.

So much for classic, continental, touch-feely teaching, Mr. Willis. Would you send a daughter to his classes?

Friday, April 11, 2008

© Copyright Derryn Hinch 2008