November 11 2020 | Seven men had been charged after an investigation into alleged historical sexual offending at Dilworth School. Video / New Zealand Police / File
Former Dilworth chaplain Ross Douglas Browne - described by his victims as a monster disguised as a Santa Claus-like mentor - has been sentenced to six and a half years' prison after admitting abusing students at the Auckland school from 1987 to 2002.
Justice Kit Toogood sentenced him today, at the High Court at Auckland, after a two-hour hearing during which more than a dozen victims stood in court or appeared via audio-video feed to confront the 73-year-old former vicar.
"What a disgusting human you are," one man said, struggling to hold back tears during his victim impact statement. "You are the lowest of the low, the absolute scum of the Earth.
"You'll spend the rest of your life in a hell of your own creation."
Ross Douglas Browne was chaplain at Dilworth School from 1979 until 2006. Photo / Michael Craig
Browne was appointed chaplain at Dilworth School in October 1979, responsible for religious education. He was the vicar of St Luke's Church in Manurewa when police arrested him in September 2020.
He had also been involved in Scouts and amateur theatrical company the Auckland Gang Show.
Browne pleaded guilty in October to 15 charges involving 14 children and adolescents who were abused between 1987 and 2002. Most of the victims were between the ages of 12 and 16. He received concurrent six-and-a-half-year sentences for each of the charges.
In addition, he was ordered to serve a concurrent one-year sentence for possession of objectionable publications depicting child abuse that were found when police searched his home in 2020.
"Your offending turned my life upside down," said one former student through tears. "You were the most enormous person I'd ever seen, and I looked up to you - figuratively and literally."
Ross Douglas Browne was the vicar of St Luke's Church in Manurewa when police arrested him. Photo / Supplied
But within the "camouflage of [Browne's] smile" lurked demons, the student said.
Another former student called him a pervert and a monster.
"I was shaken, physically and emotionally - and, like after an earthquake, I was changed," the man said. "My innocence also died then.
"I know you will not get what you deserve, but your family will suffer as all of ours have." Another student recalled the pain of revealing abuse to his family, which "had gone over heaven and Earth" to get him into the boarding school, which opened in 1906 with the aim of helping boys from disadvantaged families.
The man said he turned to drugs, alcohol and gangs as he attempted to deal with the trauma later in life, but - like many of the others who confronted Browne today - he said he has worked hard to put his life back together.
"We were the chosen ones, the fortunate few," explained another man of being chosen to attend Dilworth. "We were vulnerable. I was vulnerable.
"You had an aura of righteousness about you - a real-life Santa Claus. I was 11 when we met. I still believed in miracles."
And as a result of his trust in Browne, he grappled with sexual dysfunction and his masculinity for years, and sabotaged every serious relationship.
Another man agreed, saying Browne "ripped apart my pride, ripped apart my promising future".
A family member of another victim, addressing the courtroom via audio-video feed, described how difficult it was for the families of the victims as well as they learned their trust had been betrayed.
"As chaplain and priest, your role was far more than mentor," she said, adding that he instead was a "skewed and frankly evil representation of Christ".
Ross Douglas Browne, 73, previously denied sexual abuse charges before today's guilty pleas. Photo / Michael Craig
An aunt of another victim described her nephew's high IQ, which she said was squandered after "five years at Dilworth suffering [Browne's] despicable actions". He instead left school early and spent years dealing with mental health issues, including self-harm, she said.
"He had the potential to go a very long way academically," she said. "He should have been a medical doctor and would have been if not for your evil actions."
Police announced the arrests of seven men in September 2020, the result of an investigation into historical abuse at Dilworth dubbed Operation Beverly.
By June of this year, police had spoken to 150 former students about the allegations.
Of the former students who came forward, 122 told police they were abused by teachers, tutors, housemasters, Scout leaders and chaplains at the school.
More than 100 charges have been filed against 12 men.
Three of the men have been found guilty, including Browne, and three have died while awaiting trial.
Justice Toogood pointed out before announcing the six-and-a-half-year sentence that historic crimes must receive sentences in line with the laws and standards of the time in which they were committed.
"The appropriate sentence if these offences had been committed in 2021 would be significantly higher," he said, adding that these days the law is "much more cognisant" of the harm caused to victims.
The judge also reiterated to Browne before announcing the sentence that many of the Dilworth students were from broken homes, orphans or came from disadvantaged backgrounds in other ways.
"Many were extremely vulnerable," he said. "From a position of considerable influence over the boys, you targeted your victims and groomed them ... to satisfy your deviant interest in boys."
Dilworth School in Auckland, which has been linked to a number of historic sexual offending cases. Photo / Dean Purcell
Four of the men who came forward have ended up in prison because, in part, of the trauma they suffered, the judge said, adding that those who came forward "do not represent the full scale of your offending".
"I acknowledge their bravery in coming forward to hold you to account, Mr Browne," he said. "Your victims were robbed of their childhood."
The Anglican Bishop of Auckland said an "independent review of church process" was being commissioned about Browne's appointment as a parish priest after he left Dilworth in 2006.
"On behalf of the church, I apologise unreservedly to those who have suffered as a result of Ross Browne's offending, and recognise the impact it has had on their lives," Reverend Ross Bay said. "There is no place for this within the life of the Anglican Church.
"The Diocese of Auckland expresses its regret and sorrow that this has occurred. These actions are a source of shame for us, and we will continue to work to learn from what has happened so that our places of ministry are safe for all."
Browne resigned his ministry last year, after police filed charges and the church suspended him.
"Now that the court process has been completed, church authorities will proceed with a tribunal to determine Ross Browne's standing in the Church," Bay explained. "Deposition from the exercise of ordained ministry, which is the permanent removal from priesthood, is one of the sanctions available following a finding of misconduct by a priest."
Neil Harding, a former Dilworth School student and survivor of sexual abuse. Photo / NZME
Former Dilworth student Neil Harding, a sexual abuse survivor and representative of the class action against the school, said after the sentencing the school should take responsibility for having allowed the abuse to take place.
"In 1988 and 1989 two boys complained on separate occasions to the school about being abused by Ross Browne, yet according to the summary of facts [prepared by lawyers for Browne's hearing], senior staff did absolutely nothing," Harding said. "Instead they let it continue for years.
"We know from information provided by survivors and others that have come forward, Dilworth staff and the Trust Board were told about the abuse, but instead of protecting the boys they punished those who complained and took active steps to cover it up. The school chose to put Dilworth's reputation ahead of their primary responsibility to protect and care for vulnerable boys in our community, many of whom were aged 8 or 9 at the time they were subjected to horrific sexual abuse."
More than 100 former students have registered with the class action against Dilworth - the wealthiest private school in New Zealand, with assets of around $900 million. Those who suffered the most serious harm should receive around $500,000 in financial compensation, Harding has previously suggested.
"The school is responsible for the immeasurable harm each and every boy suffered," Harding said today. "For this they need to be held accountable."
In a video directed at students and alumni, Dilworth Trust Board chair Aaron Snodgrass said on Thursday afternoon the resolution of Browne's case had now allowed school officials to "talk openly" about what happened.
He issued an apology - not just for the crimes committed by the man known on campus as "Father Browne" but also for the school's inaction when they were discovered.
"The impact of Ross Browne's offending on our community has been far-reaching and should never have happened," he said. "When concerns regarding Ross Browne's teaching methods and over-familiarity with students were initially raised by staff, students and parents, these weren't followed through, and our response was inadequate.
"We did not listen to their voices in the same way as we do today."
Snodgrass said Browne was asked to resign in 2006, following an investigation of complaints from former students, and the school notified the Anglican Diocese of Auckland and the New Zealand Teachers' Council.
But the school didn't alert police, and after Dilworth the diocese appointed Browne to a South Auckland parish.
"The school's decision at the time was to treat concerns and complaints regarding Ross Browne as employment matters, without involving the police," Snodgrass acknowledged. "What this process has made clear, is that our systems and procedures at that time for dealing with such complaints were insufficient and more stringent action should have been taken.
"We failed to prevent abuse occurring in our school and, in doing so, we failed our students and their families.
We apologise to the survivors of Ross Browne's abuse, their families and all of our Old Boys for this. We deeply regret what occurred in our past."
Where to get help:
Snodgrass has encouraged Old Boys to contact the school if they need support, by emailing aaron@dilworth.school.nz
