Retired educator Graeme Collett, now in his 80s, was accused of abusing young girls in the 1960s and 1970s. One of his alleged victims, pictured, went to the police in 2019. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Retired educator Graeme Collett, now in his 80s, was accused of abusing young girls in the 1960s and 1970s. One of his alleged victims, pictured, went to the police in 2019. Photo / Jason Oxenham
An Auckland woman has waited more than 55 years to see the man accused of abusing her stand trial.
Now, after years of struggling with the impact the alleged abuse has had on her life, the 61-year-old's hopes have been shattered after a judge ruled Graeme Collett is too ill to stand trial.
"The day he was arrested was the greatest day, it was unbelievable. When I was told it wasn't going to trial it was devastating."
Collett, now 85, was the woman's teacher at Sunnybrae Normal School and went on to teach at another North Shore school before becoming the principal at Mairangi Bay Primary.
Last year, a year after the woman went to police for the second time in her life with allegations about Collett, he was arrested and charged with indecent assault.
He also faced similar charges in relation to four other women who were aged between 8-10 at the time of the alleged offending during the 1960s and 1970s.
She was 8 when she started in Collett's standard two class. She would go on to tell police how he had a big desk at the front of the class where he would call her up to and mark her work.
Graeme Collett was the principal at Mairangi Bay school until 2001.
She alleged that he would also molest her behind that desk while looking her work on an almost daily basis.
The woman said she didn't have any words for what was allegedly happening to her.
"I didn't even know what it was. All I knew was I was traumatised after that."
It was more than 15 years later when her path crossed with her old teacher again.
She was living on the North Shore and walking back from the dairy with her 3-year-old son who was in front of her and eating an icecream.
"He was way in front of me and this guy called out 'oh, I bet that was a nice icecream'. He couldn't see me because I was three or four houses back."
Even without seeing him she knew who it was.
"The hairs on the back of my neck rose. I thought that's Collett."
Once she got home she told her husband that she had just seen the man who she alleges molested her as a child.
Wanting to know more about him and what he was doing now they looked him up in the phone book and called his number. His wife answered.
"I said 'can you tell me if Mr Collett is still a teacher?' and she said 'oh no, he's a headmaster'."
He was now at Mairangi Bay School where he would remain as the principal until 2001.
She didn't immediately go to police. It was however the start of a big change in her life.
"It made me reassess everything in my life. Everything changed."
Within a year her marriage was over. She talked to her parents about it for the first time and went back to university. After counselling she also went to the police in 1995 with her allegations against Collett.
She said police were willing to lay charges but warned her it was her word against his - a comment that stopped her in her tracks.
"I had a son to bring up and if a jury said not guilty then I (thought) I can't face that therefore I'm not strong enough to take it forward."
Instead, she told police if they could find another person with the same allegations she would go to court, knowing the case would be stronger and it wouldn't be her word against his. That never happened.
The woman says people who are abused should go to the police as early as possible. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Several years later she got a call saying a teacher had come forward claiming she saw some children being molested.
"I thought great, maybe we have got him. Then they came back and said she won't go on the record."
"Then I got a call some time after that to say they had two strong leads of two children who had allegedly been molested. I thought 'we've got him this time'."
But her dance around the living room was short-lived.
Neither case went anywhere as the alleged victims wouldn't talk to police.
"It became a dead-end so again it was like 'okay, bury this'."
The next 20 years were hard.
"I had to walk past his house for about 20 years or so. Every day it was on the way to the dairy, it was on the way to the bus, to go to the city, to my job.
"I also used to see him on the beach once or twice a week because he used to do a daily walk. I always watched him because I was uncomfortable because he was working (in a school) and knew I couldn't take it forward."
"My comfort over the next 20 years was 'he knows we are onto him', my son was coming home talking about safe touching they were learning in school so I thought kids these days and their parents are more in the loop so there was a safety thing there. Also I could watch his property."
A couple of years ago the woman went travelling. When she returned she was struggling and eventually found herself at the Takapuna police station.
"I just started crying and I said you have a file here and I'm about to turn 60, I have nothing to lose now - I'm coming to terms with aging and mortality - and I don't want my dying thought to be 'this guy got away with it', so I'm here today to tell you to do what you have to do so even if it is just me I'm going to take it all the way. They said that's alright 'you've come to the right place'."
"They said you've just said what we need to say, I said 'I can go to court and if they say not guilty I can deal with it, I'm taking it all the way".
"To my surprise just before Covid last year I got a call out of the blue from a detective and he said 'I wish I had you at my side today'. I said 'why is that?' He said 'because we have just arrested Graeme Collett'. I said f***, that's all I said and I said it about 30 times."
Police had also found other women who alleged Collett abused them and were prepared to go to trial.
The arrest was bittersweet as the woman feels police should have tried harder to find other victims - like they had done this time - when she first went to them.
"I'm disappointed that they have done what they've done now, they could have done that then. They dropped the ball because they knew I was shaking and they knew my reasons why but they knew I was prepared to take this forward if they could just get another person."
Now, a just weeks out from his trial, Collett has been granted a stay of proceedings.
Graeme Collett is helped out of the Auckland District Court in a wheelchair by his supporters. Photo / NZ Herald
His lawyers argued he wouldn't receive a fair trial because of the length of time that had passed, the impact that had on the memory of the witnesses and the fact witnesses who could have given evidence on Collett's behalf have since died.
He also has numerous health issues, including advanced Parkinson's Disease and is confined to a wheelchair, that his defence said would impact on the ability to properly participate in the trial.
Judge Nevin Dawson ruled Collett's medical conditions meant he wouldn't be able to adequately participate in the trial which was due to take place later this month.
"The medical report...makes it abundantly clear that the defendant could not cope with the stress of a two-week trial and it would be life-threatening to him."
Now the woman says she will never get to stand before a jury or judge and tell them her story.
"This is his lucky day really."
"He's now 85 and it's over...They (police) should have done their job in 1995 when the guy was... at Mairangi Bay School. Now he's old."
It's for that reason the woman is pleading with others to have the courage to talk to police early about abuse so the person is still young enough to stand trial if charges are laid.
She said she's had a positive experience this time around with Waitematā police who have been supportive of her - something she's incredibly grateful for.
Despite her disappointment about the trial not going ahead she is still glad she came forward and urges other to do the same, especially in an environment where historical offending, like that at Dilworth School, is coming to light more frequently and resulting in prosecutions of older people.
"Come forward and come forward early and believe in the police now."
She also has a warning for people who think they can get away with abusing young children.
"Hands off kids. They grow up. They can go and do a police statement - and in my experience of these days the police will take the fight on for the victims. Beware paedos, beware."
