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AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
www.abc.net.au
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-...ndal/101027102
Western Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains says the AFL club is "shocked and dismayed" by revelations the club was the scene of horrific child sexual abuse for much of the 1980s.
Key points:
-Club fundraiser and room steward Graeme Hobbs sexually abused boys at the Western Oval in the 1980s
-Abuse survivor Adam Kneale says the club never contacted him after Hobbs's criminal conviction in 1994
-Bulldogs' current chief executive, Ameet Bains, says the club is 'dismayed' by the revelations and they will reach out to Mr Kneale to offer help
On Sunday, an ABC Sport investigation revealed the story of Adam Kneale, a young football fan who was sexually abused in the club's Western Oval administrative offices for seven years between 1984 and 1990.
Now 49, Mr Kneale detailed the harrowing legacy of his abuse, including the debilitating toll of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety.
"We have been shocked and dismayed to learn about the terrible abuse suffered by Adam Kneale in the 1980s, the confronting details of which were set out in today's ABC article," Bains said.
"What Adam was subjected to as a child — and the impact it has subsequently had on the remainder of his life — is heartbreaking and distressing.
"Football clubs should be a safe and enjoyable place for all people, especially children, so Adam's experiences and the fact that elements of this abuse occurred at the hands of a Footscray Football Club volunteer are simply devastating."
Court documents, newspaper archives and club annual reports revealed that Mr Kneale's abuser, the late Graeme Hobbs, filled a variety of roles at the Bulldogs — then known as Footscray Football Club — including chairman of fundraising and Under-19 team room steward.
Club annuals of the 1980s described Hobbs as the Footscray's "jack of all trades", and he was often affectionately identified by his nickname, 'Chops'.
Hobbs used match tickets and season passes to groom young boys and then sexually abused them in the offices at the Western Oval.
He also photographed his victims and was later charged for possession of child pornography.
Police and legal sources have confirmed to ABC Sport that other boys were abused at the club.
"We applaud Adam's courage to come forward and share the details of his story and we cannot begin to understand the trauma he and his family have been forced to deal with for more than three decades," the Bulldogs statement continued.
"While these matters were investigated by Victoria Police and relevant authorities in the early 1990s, resulting in a number of charges being laid, a criminal conviction being sustained, and a subsequent jail sentence being served by the principal offender, we understand and acknowledge that the pain continues to this day for Adam.
"The club will seek advice from police and expert agencies to ensure Adam and anyone else who may come forward are appropriately supported."
Mr Kneale said that, despite knowing about the crimes committed by his abuser since 1994, the Bulldogs had never sought to contact him nor offer assistance. The club's president in 1994, Peter Gordon, is a cousin of Mr Kneale's father.
In a written response to questions from ABC Sport, Mr Gordon said he had no recollection of Adam's story and "no knowledge of any interaction the club may have had with Adam nor any offer of assistance".
"Until this week, I was unaware my cousin, Charles Kneale, had a son named Adam, and I have no recollection of hearing of Adam or what you have described," Mr Gordon said.
As Bulldogs' current chief executive, Mr Bains said the club had now "communicated our wish to meet with Adam and his family to provide any direct support we possibly can, and to personally convey our sorrow over what he has endured".
Dennis Galimberti — who was Bulldogs chief executive for a decade between 1986 and 1996 — said that Hobbs was exiled from the club in 1992, when his grooming of children came to the attention of Graeme Pearce, the club's chief executive for six months of that year.
Adam was like any footy-loving boy until a trip to Western Oval turned his life into a nightmare
When Adam Kneale was offered a chance to help out around the Footscray Football Club as an 11-year-old, he thought he was realising every kids' dream. Instead, he faced unimaginable trauma. Warning: This story contains graphic details that may be distressing to some readers.
Read more
"I remember that Pearce came to me one day in 1992 and said that he'd received a complaint from someone," Mr Galimberti told ABC Sport.
"He didn't tell me who the complaint was from. He told me he received a complaint from someone that related to Hobbs giving away membership tickets to attract young children and youth to the club.
"He said he was going to handle the complaint. Some time later, when he hadn't given me any update on what was happening with the complaint, I spoke to him and said, 'What have you done about the complaint with Hobbs?' And he said, 'Don't worry about it, I've rung Hobbs and told him he's not to set foot in the club again'. And I never saw Hobbs after that."
Mr Kneale, who was 11 years old at the time that Hobbs began abusing him during Footscray's home games and during Western Oval training sessions, was dragged into a nightmarish secret life of sexual abuse that included assaults by numerous other offenders within a paedophile ring.
He says the man described in court as the "ringleader" of that paedophile ring, John Raymond Wayland, sexually abused him in an Essendon apartment to which Hobbs would regularly take him as a boy. Wayland confirmed to ABC Sport that he'd briefly been a trainer at the Bulldogs and had met Hobbs at the club.
In 1996, Justice Higgins of Melbourne's County Court jailed Wayland for 16 years, describing his depraved sex offending as the worst case of child abuse he'd encountered in any court.
Hobbs, who died in 2009, was sentenced to 39 months in prison in 1994 for his abuse of Adam Kneale and one other boy.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Not a lot that can be said. Just awful and saddening.
Peter Gordon’s response seems a bit odd, I have to say.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Quote:
Originally Posted by
The Underdog
Not a lot that can be said. Just awful and saddening.
Peter Gordon’s response seems a bit odd, I have to say.
Complete legalese.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
This is devastating. Words cannot express the pain, suffering and grief the victim has experienced.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Horrific and hard to read.
Ameet should factually say ( if the facts are true ) "from the 1980's and 90's". If this is when the abuse took place, need to get that right for a start. Poor guy.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ghost Dog
Horrific and hard to read.
Ameet should factually say ( if the facts are true ) "from the 1980's and 90's". If this is when the abuse took place, need to get that right for a start. Poor guy.
It's from my era too I was around the club at that age. I can't recall the man in question but it's possible i encountered him.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
It's really scary stuff. What is worse this is not isolated and the article discusses predator rings and trading. It is just awful and really tough to read.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
I read this early in the morning and then read it again because I couldn't believe it. Very upsetting.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GVGjr
I read this early in the morning and then read it again because I couldn't believe it. Very upsetting.
So awful to think it happened at a place we all cherish and have such fond memories of.
I hope we can reach out to the victims and support them as best we can.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
I read this while my daughter was out with the junior member's clinic. Brought me to tears.
Really distressing stuff. The complete betrayal of trust that Mr Kneale experienced and subsequent trauma is hard to fathom, it is just awful.
Thank goodness we have a more professional set up these days and appropriate checks and balances to reduce the risks of this type of thing ever happening. That's not to say those risks are ever eliminated, but you'd hope the likelihood is significantly reduced. And the support ad follow-up would reflect current principles and support for the abuse survivor.
My high school PE teacher was in the news recently on historical sex abuse charges and this just feels like another example of something being too close to home. Shame on these men who abuse their positions of power to prey on vulnerable folk.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
As I was reading the article I truly felt sick in my guts. Hate that type with a passion.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
I must say, I didn't want to read this article. I am two years older than Adam and was around the club in the 80s as much as I could be whilst also juggling school and part time work. Like Grantysghost, I don't ever remember meeting Adam, but the thought that this could have been me or a family member or friend is truly terrifying. I too had tears in my eyes as I read this. I look back on my teens in the early to mid 80s at Western Oval with fond memories. The club need to make this right ... I don't know how, but the very first thing that needs to happen is acknowledging Adam, apologising, and listening to him. Ameet needs to make this his number one priority.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Grantysghost
It's from my era too I was around the club at that age. I can't recall the man in question but it's possible i encountered him.
I vaguely remember a guy everyone called Chops back in the '80s when I hung around the club pretty much every day watching training and kicking the footy around with mates but I don't think I ever spoke to him.
The club needs to make this right as a priority.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Horrifying. I'd like the club to drive hard to create something enduring out of this. A club statement is just only scratching the surface of what needs to be done. We failed these poor children, and we should be doing something now that tangibly makes a difference going forward that stamps our club's bonafides as a family and community oriented club.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Western Bulldogs sex abuse scandal heads to court
Exclusive: The Western Bulldogs are facing a multimillion-dollar claim in a landmark legal case over historic sexual abuse at Whitten Oval.
Adam Kneale has lodged a lawsuit against the Bulldogs in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
He claims the Bulldogs did nothing to protect him from convicted paedophile Graeme Hobbs, who was a “jack of all trades” at the club.
Wesley College paid out $3 million and Geelong College was forced to pay $2.7 million in similar sexual abuse cases in Victoria last year.
Mr Kneale is the first person to sue an AFL club over sexual abuse but other clubs also face potential claims.
St Kilda was accused of failing to protect its little league players from paedophiles, with former star Rod Owen among the victims.
And a convicted paedophile ran Carlton’s little league team between 1973 and 1977.
Michael Magazanik, a partner at Rightside Legal who filed the case, said Mr Kneale wanted to hold the Bulldogs to account.
“In 1993, when he was 21, Adam told his story to police, and Hobbs and another man were jailed. But that didn’t end Adam’s suffering and he has now lived with the consequences for almost 40 years,” Mr Magazanik said.
“Adam is the first person to sue an AFL club over child abuse – but other will follow because there were multiple paedophiles involved in little league teams during the 1970s. Some of those survivors are also considering legal claims.”
Hobbs, who died in 2009, was a fixture at the Bulldogs in the 1980s when he was the under-19 team steward, a chairman of the fundraising committee and “jack of all trades”.
He abused Mr Kneale, now 49, between 1984 and 1990, including in “the grandstand” at Whitten Oval while games were being played.
Mr Kneale was only 11 years old when he met Hobbs at the Bulldogs, which was then known as the Footscray Football Club.
Mr Kneale reported his abuse to police in a 5,500 word statement, which led to Hobbs’ arrest.
Another victim also came forward at the time, with Hobbs pleading guilty to the abuse of Mr Kneale, as well as another child, with offences dating back to 1965.
The Western Times, a local newspaper that circulated in Melbourne’s west, detailed the court case on its front page in 1994.
The court heard that Hobbs, who was known as “Chops”, had given Mr Kneale free season tickets, “as many as I wanted for my friends”.
The court was told: “When police raided his home on February 9, 1993, they discovered 39 Footscray Football Club membership cards and 14 Footscray Football Club membership medallions. Prosecutor Ms Francine McNiff said the Crown would suggest that these items were used by Hobbs to cultivate boys.”
Mr Kneale, who gave permission to be named in this story, wanted to speak out to help others, Mr Magazanik said.
The Bulldogs said when asked about the case: “Due to the sensitive nature of these issues, and the commencement of legal proceedings before a jury, the Club is not in a position to comment further at this time.”
However, Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains said before the case was filed that the club was “shocked and dismayed to learn about the terrible abuse suffered by Adam Kneale in the 1980s.”
“What Adam was subjected to as a child and the impact it has subsequently had on the remainder of his life is heartbreaking and distressing,” Mr Bains said.
“Football clubs should be a safe and enjoyable place for all people, especially children, so Adam’s experiences and the fact that elements of this abuse occurred at the hands of a Footscray Football Club volunteer are simply devastating.”
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
This has made me really, really sad. I wouldn’t draw so long a bow to implicate the club over the actual abusers, but between the abuse being committed by a club official, through enticement with club funds, in the damn rooms, and for such a long time, there is no way we don’t retain some culpability here. And how Galimberti thought it fitting to not go to the police to assist, either at the time he removed Hobbs from the club or in the course of the investigation, is beyond belief.
The response of Peter Gordon is bitterly disappointing, and the one from Baines completely toothless. The club simply has to do something tangible here.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bornadog
No Comment
But you did.. why not just remain silent?
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
No doubt Adam Kneale should be compensated. Hopefully we can do it out of Court.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
I'm surprised there is not a statute of limitations on this. I don't buy that it is to hold the Bulldogs to account 30 years later, I'm sure Ameet would be happy to meet with him and address his concerns away from the courts and million dollar settlements
There's no suggestion this has continued into the 21st century, staff and controls around this sort of behaviour have changed many times over. It is appropriate for the club to ensure it has learned the required lessons, and to support Adam on an ongoing basis, but I don't think it's reasonable for the current management team to be dragged through the media and the courts. To me that would be a last resort if the club were brushing him off
Ameet has come out and apologised, then he has filed in the courts where the apology could be used as evidence against us. Now any sort of defense to protect the interests of the club will come across as uncaring and enabling the horrific behaviour he experienced
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
This is chilling and I am so sad and sorry for the victim/ victims. I hope the club does all it can to make amends.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
boydogs
I'm surprised there is not a statute of limitations on this. I don't buy that it is to hold the Bulldogs to account 30 years later, I'm sure Ameet would be happy to meet with him and address his concerns away from the courts and million dollar settlements
There's no suggestion this has continued into the 21st century, staff and controls around this sort of behaviour have changed many times over. It is appropriate for the club to ensure it has learned the required lessons, and to support Adam on an ongoing basis, but I don't think it's reasonable for the current management team to be dragged through the media and the courts. To me that would be a last resort if the club were brushing him off
Ameet has come out and apologised, then he has filed in the courts where the apology could be used as evidence against us. Now any sort of defense to protect the interests of the club will come across as uncaring and enabling the horrific behaviour he experienced
I don't agree with this. The current administration can only act in good faith and represent the club to the best of its ability. If they act with integrity they won't come through the situation with a tarnished reputation, rather, they'll likely leave with an enhanced one.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Quote:
Originally Posted by
boydogs
I'm surprised there is not a statute of limitations on this. I don't buy that it is to hold the Bulldogs to account 30 years later, I'm sure Ameet would be happy to meet with him and address his concerns away from the courts and million dollar settlements
There's no suggestion this has continued into the 21st century, staff and controls around this sort of behaviour have changed many times over. It is appropriate for the club to ensure it has learned the required lessons, and to support Adam on an ongoing basis, but I don't think it's reasonable for the current management team to be dragged through the media and the courts. To me that would be a last resort if the club were brushing him off
Ameet has come out and apologised, then he has filed in the courts where the apology could be used as evidence against us. Now any sort of defense to protect the interests of the club will come across as uncaring and enabling the horrific behaviour he experienced
I agree with this post. Undeniably a wrong has been committed and our digust and anger should be directed at those involved both those who did he deeds and those who helped cover it up. The abuse though is 30 to 40 years ago and whilst that doesn't make the crime any less serious, a civil action against the club effectively punishes those involved now for past crimes.
To me it seems that the FFC did not cover this up. They sacked the individual involved and criminal charges were laid once the abuse was reported and the club made aware. Could the club have done more in 1993? Maybe they could have reached out to Adam Kneale and sought to provide him with support/compensation. I don't think that makes them responsible for the damages and what has happened in his life since the abuse was identified and stopped.
A cynic would ask why now? Why is Adam only now seeking compensation and lodging a legal claim against the FFC? Its not like he was a hidden victim, his statement led to the conviction of Hobbs.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Quote:
Originally Posted by
FrediKanoute
I agree with this post. Undeniably a wrong has been committed and our digust and anger should be directed at those involved both those who did he deeds and those who helped cover it up. The abuse though is 30 to 40 years ago and whilst that doesn't make the crime any less serious, a civil action against the club effectively punishes those involved now for past crimes.
To me it seems that the FFC did not cover this up. They sacked the individual involved and criminal charges were laid once the abuse was reported and the club made aware. Could the club have done more in 1993? Maybe they could have reached out to Adam Kneale and sought to provide him with support/compensation. I don't think that makes them responsible for the damages and what has happened in his life since the abuse was identified and stopped.
A cynic would ask why now? Why is Adam only now seeking compensation and lodging a legal claim against the FFC? Its not like he was a hidden victim, his statement led to the conviction of Hobbs.
Abuse victims are all different, and questioning their motives for seeking compensation/ recourse and timing of doing so has been proved to discourage them from coming forward.
We have a system and process, let it play out and hope the club represents itself to the best of its abilities. Nobody is holding the current administration to account for what happened and won't unless it is found they've done something to hamper justice being served or have not supported the victim/ victims.
How our club acts on these allegations is probably the most serious issue it has faced since the fightback, and that's not to say it isn't more serious than what it faced during that time.
You can't have kids sexually abused/ raped at your football club. It needs to be addressed no matter the timing.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jeemak
You can't have kids sexually abused/ raped at your football club. It needs to be addressed no matter the timing.
This is the start, middle and end of the story.
I have zero time for the "why now" crowd. They go in with the "why don't they just get over it" crowd.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Quote:
Originally Posted by
EasternWest
This is the start, middle and end of the story.
I have zero time for the "why now" crowd. They go in with the "why don't they just get over it" crowd.
Yes I don't think anyone can answer what's right for a victim.
Its a very sad chapter in the clubs history, and it happened on our watch so we need to be held responsible.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Quote:
Originally Posted by
EasternWest
This is the start, middle and end of the story.
I have zero time for the "why now" crowd. They go in with the "why don't they just get over it" crowd.
I think I'm more, he's cheapening his experience by going to the courts. It's implying that money can fix what happened
I was kind of with him going to the media, you need to shine a light on these things to ensure systemic issues are addressed and victims are comfortable speaking out, but going to the courts after the club publically apologised feels like a gotcha
Everyone deals with trauma differently, some are private some are public, some will never drive again after a car crash and some want to get back on the horse and move on. He obviously feels like the time is right to speak up, I guess I'm just putting myself in Ameet's shoes where he is being held accountable for the distant past and has had to switch gears from a heartfelt apology to a corporate no comment
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jeemak
Abuse victims are all different, and questioning their motives for seeking compensation/ recourse and timing of doing so has been proved to discourage them from coming forward.
We have a system and process, let it play out and hope the club represents itself to the best of its abilities. Nobody is holding the current administration to account for what happened and won't unless it is found they've done something to hamper justice being served or have not supported the victim/ victims.
How our club acts on these allegations is probably the most serious issue it has faced since the fightback, and that's not to say it isn't more serious than what it faced during that time.
You can't have kids sexually abused/ raped at your football club. It needs to be addressed no matter the timing.
No one is suggesting that it was ok, and the fact it happened is tragic and a black mark on the club and people involved who may have known and did nothing.
Realistically though what do we do from here? We can't undo the abuse. The person who carried out the abuse was jailed. From a criminal perspective the matter has been dealt with. Any pecuniary punishment levelled against the club today will be punishing the club now 30+ years after the abuse, assuming the club was at fault.
There is an element of revisionism here and an imagining that the club should have had in place the standards/controls/checks that are mandated under laws today. The fact is no organisation had the level of controls or processes you see today with police checks etc. to deal with this. Galimberti's actions to raise it an accept it had been dealt with are most likely what an ordinary person back in 1994 would have been expected to do, especially as it resulted in a criminal conviction.
I feel sorry for Adam and wouldn't wish what he went through on anyone. I would expect the club to offer to provide support to Adam and assist in any way it can, but I think a legal claim of millions is ambulance chasing and the main winners will be his solicitors.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Quote:
Originally Posted by
boydogs
I think I'm more, he's cheapening his experience by going to the courts. It's implying that money can fix what happened
I was kind of with him going to the media, you need to shine a light on these things to ensure systemic issues are addressed and victims are comfortable speaking out, but going to the courts after the club publically apologised feels like a gotcha
Everyone deals with trauma differently, some are private some are public, some will never drive again after a car crash and some want to get back on the horse and move on. He obviously feels like the time is right to speak up, I guess I'm just putting myself in Ameet's shoes where he is being held accountable for the distant past and has had to switch gears from a heartfelt apology to a corporate no comment
Everyone has to put themselves in the victim's shoes. You're indirectly (or maybe even directly) victim blaming. No-one is blaming today's administration anymore than Aboriginal people are blaming you for the genocide that occurred 200 years ago.
The thing with deep trauma such as this is that most people are emotionally shattered their entire lives. Most sexual trauma victims never find the strength to deal with this. It's clear in 1993 that Adam was not the one who came forward and I applaud Adam for having the courage and strength to face this. It must be extremely difficult and it's not until now, at the age of 49, that he's finally in a place to deal with it.
Can you imagine the pain Adam is going to be faced with during the court case having to rehash all of the terrible things that were done to him? Adam needs to do this to move on with his life because I guarantee you it's been an absolute emotional shit fight for him up until now. Showing amazing courage.
One thing that might save the club financially is that Greg was a volunteer and not an employee. However, we need to hear Adam's story, everyone does. The more we hear about these traumatic events the better we get as a community to help ensure they do not happen again. I coach my daughter's AFL team and the hoops I had to jump through to be a volunteer coach were full-on, which is a good thing.
Our knowledge of how to be better has only come about because of the courage and strength of the victims.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Adam Kneale sues Bulldogs after Graeme Hobbs alleged sex abuse
A child abuse survivor has given horror evidence of how a Footscray Football Club star volunteer regularly met him in a Whitten Oval stand to commit abuse in exchange for match tickets and money for meat pies.
Adam Kneale detailed his six years of sex abuse from the age of 11 at the hands of pedophile Graeme Hobbs, known around the club as ?Chops?, during a Supreme Court trial where he?s suing the Western Bulldogs for vicarious liability.
Mr Kneale said in 1984, a school friend asked if he wanted ?easy money? and told him to meet a fat man at the top of the stairs in the John Gent stand, who wore a big blue coat with a fur collar.
The 11-year-old found the ?friendly guy? in the stand, who told the boy if he ?needed some money to buy some pies and a drink ... anytime I could go up the stairs to meet him?.
?I just saw that as an opportunity,? Mr Kneale said of the ?big fat man? with greasy hair, who was a heavy smoker and ?didn?t smell the best?.
About a month after their first meeting, Mr Kneale said the club?s fundraising volunteer asked him during a game if he wanted to check out the Footscray FC offices.
In the conference room, Hobbs opened the door to a tall cupboard where his victim?s attention was caught by footballs sitting on the top shelf.
But the open cupboard door also blocked the view from the hall, and Hobbs touched him over his clothes.
?Honestly I just froze,? Mr Kneale told the court.
?I worked out quite quickly this is what the money was for ... I was trapped in that situation ... I thought that must be the worst of it but it wasn?t.?
The little boy was then taken into the club toilets where he was raped - the first occasion of a six-year nightmare that involved repeated abuse by Hobbs and a wider pedophile ring.
Mr Kneale said he recalled after that first time walking home from Whitten Oval and thinking, ?the money would be worth it because this won?t affect me when I?m older?.
?That was a fatalistic moment that has stayed with me forever,? he said.
The man, now 51, detailed how he then regularly met Hobbs at the top of the John Gent stand?s stairs where he was taken to be abused in the club offices, bathrooms and change rooms and handed cash and match day tickets for himself, his friends and his father.
He?d also meet the pedophile in the Footscray FC car park, where they?d catch a taxi to a hotel, or later to other sex offenders? homes.
Mr Kneale said at the time he felt like it was ?my fault? and that he ?went along with it willingly, but I didn?t realise I?d been trapped, I?d been groomed to a point I felt obliged to maintain this friendship and there was no way out?.
Once, Mr Kneale recalled travelling with Hobbs on the Footscray FC cheer squad bus to Sydney where he ?thought I?d actually be safe on this trip because I was surrounded by people?.
But Hobbs laid a jacket over his lap and abused Mr Kneale on the bus, both on the way to Sydney and the way home.
He said he later learned ? upon being taken to other pedophiles? homes after meeting Hobbs in the Footscray FC car park ? that the sex offenders were abusing other children.
?I was trapped, I found myself in a world of mess that I could not escape,? he said in answer to questions from his barrister Tim Hammond SC.
?There?s no way I had the maturity to understand what was going on at the time, I couldn?t run, I couldn?t hide, there was no turning back at this point, I knew this was my new normal and I was too immature to understand.
?I had no idea of the consequences that I would face when I got older, I just didn?t know what to do.?
The pedophile even came to Mr Kneale?s house and met his mother.
?She just thought I had some little paid job at the ground and didn?t think anything of it,? he said.
After six years of abuse, from the ages of 11 to 17, Mr Kneale reported Hobbs to police in 1993 when he was aged 21.
His first child, a little girl, had been born just two months earlier and he said that was the moment ?everything changed?.
?The moment she was born I realised what I had to do,? he said.
Mr Kneale said he was aware Hobbs had been committing offences against other children ?not long out of nappies, these were babies, two years old - I couldn?t be a role model for my daughter if I hadn?t done something about this?.
He gave a 12-hour interview to Altona Police, then drove with officers around the western and northern suburbs of Melbourne, pointing out the homes of Hobbs and his pedophile friends.
Mr Kneale is suing Western Bulldogs, formerly Footscray FC, for damages arguing the club was vicariously liable for their star volunteer who raised much needed money for the cash-strapped team.
The Bulldogs, through its barrister Jack Rush KC, has denied the club knew about the abuse and argued it was not liable for the criminal actions of their volunteer, who was jailed and later died in 2009.
Mr Kneale?s evidence, before Justice Melinda Richards, continues on Wednesday afternoon.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
We’ve got Jack Rush. That’s a very big name silk. We aren’t mucking around. What a horrible experience for Adam to go through. I sincerely hope no one at the club even has an inkling let alone knew.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Will be settled out of court to hush this up ASAP.
Pity.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Geez. Pay this man. That was awful.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
What is wrong with some people - ****ed that is for sure
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
How do we pay for this?
Western Bulldogs ordered to pay child sex abuse victim $5.9m in damages
https://www.smh.com.au/national/vict...09-p5eipi.html
Western Bulldogs ordered to pay child sex abuse victim $5.9m in damages
Erin PearsonNovember 9, 2023 — 2.52pm
A Supreme Court jury has awarded child sex abuse victim Adam Kneale $5.9 million in damages after finding the Western Bulldogs Football Club were negligent in protecting him from harm.
Kneale launched Supreme Court action against the Western Bulldogs, formerly Footscray, seeking damages for the abuse he endured from age 11 by former fundraising committee member Graeme Hobbs.
Kneale reported Hobbs to police in 1993, aged 21, which led to his abuser and another man being jailed.
A jury on Thursday awarded Kneale $3.35 million for pain and suffering, $2.6 million in loss of earnings and $87,500 for future medical expenses.
Kneale embraced his legal team after the verdict, while his family could be seeing wiping tears.
The club was also ordered to pay more than $10,000 to Medicare and Kneale’s legal costs.
“Mr Kneale, you have my very best wishes for your future. I don’t underestimate how difficult this has been for you. I hope this process has helped you heal in some way,” Justice Melinda Richards said.
Among the claims aired in court were that Hobbs, once recognised in the Bulldogs’ annual reports for his services to the club as a “jack of all trades” and “room steward” for the under-19 team, used club facilities during training nights, on match days, and an interstate football trip to sexually abuse a young boy over seven years.
It was also alleged that Hobbs gave game day tickets to boys who sat with him in the John Gent Stand.
During the trial, former Footscray president Peter Gordon denied knowing a club volunteer had been jailed for sexually abusing a young boy on club grounds and claimed he only became aware of Hobbs’ crimes when a journalist contacted the club in April last year.
Gordon also denied ever being made aware of a front page newspaper article, published in May 1994, which revealed Hobbs had pleaded guilty to sexually abusing Kneale when he was 12 behind the Western Oval grandstand.
Gordon said he was also never told about a conversation a police officer had with the club’s then finance manager in February 1993 when Hobbs was arrested about the potential impact it would have on the club and that other victims might come forward.
Gordon, who is also related to Kneale, said he would have contacted him if he was aware of the abuse.
When the case was first launched, Michael Magazanik, a partner with Rightside Legal, predicted Kneale would be the first of many to sue an AFL club over childhood abuse with other publicised cases of child abusers being in senior positions with little league teams in the 1970s.
With AAP.
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Do we have liability insurance?
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Re: AFL club Western Bulldogs rocked by historical child sexual abuse scandal
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Prince Imperial
Do we have liability insurance?
You would think so but it won't cover that sort of money. It's likely to impact the club.