Former St Peter's College Chaplain John Mountford Murdered

July 22, 2009 12:01am
Original Article
ANDREW DOWDELL

DISGRACED Anglican priest John Mountford gave a thumbs up and a smug smile as he left Australia in August 2007 after child-sex charges against him were dropped.

The controversial former St Peter's College chaplain might have escaped justice in the courts but could not flee his final shocking ordeal – found murdered in his home in the Libyan capital of Tripoli with a knife lodged in his back.

Libyan police broke into Mountford's apartment after the British citizen failed to show up for work at a school where he taught English to oil workers.

The family of one of Mountford's victims yesterday said they took no joy in the alleged child molester's murder but hoped his death could help bring a close to their 17-year ordeal.

Mountford's murder culminated a life plagued by persistent allegations that he molested the very boys he was trusted to foster and care for – claims Mountford continued to vehemently deny.

The family of David Martin – the man Mountford, 52, allegedly abused in the early 1990s – yesterday said news of his death would not erase the irreparable damage the Anglican priest had inflicted.

"None of this really relieves all the nightmares that David continues to have . . . I don't know if ever he will be the same," Mr Martin's mother, Jan, told The Advertiser.

"Only families who have been through this will understand what we have been through and continue to go through." Mountford's appointment as chaplain at St Peter's College was clouded by allegations of impropriety from the outset.

In 1990, former St Peter's headmaster Tony Shinkfield received a letter from then Anglican archbishop of Adelaide, the reverend Keith Rayner, warning the school that Mountford allegedly had wanted to show pornographic movies to students at a Papua New Guinea college where he was teaching.

After Mountford wrote a letter assuring Dr Shinkfield the allegation was "totally untrue", the principal wrote back saying he was welcome to teach at the elite private school.

"In a way it was just as well that these silly accusations were completely cleared before you came here, I am only sorry that they ever hit the light of day," Dr Shinkfield's letter said.

More than a decade later, Mountford's alleged abuse and his subsequent departure from the country would lead to the resignation of Anglican Archbishop of Adelaide Ian George.

He resigned after weeks of public pressure over allegations he had spoken to Mountford shortly before he left the country for Thailand in June 1992 – a day after he allegedly admitted trying to have sex with a Year 10 boarder in his house on the school grounds, which he shared with a Balinese "man servant".

Mountford's sudden departure coincided with Mr Martin being admitted to a psychiatric hospital because of the persistent abuse he claimed to have suffered.

In official statements, Mr Martin said he began to collapse at school because of the continued abuse and took to stealing from city department stores and spent three months in Fullarton Private Hospital when he was 15.

While at the time Mr Martin regarded Mountford as a "special" person in his life, he came to believe "Reverend Mountford destroyed my life by abusing me".

"I was a young boy and he was an adult . . . and he should have known what he was doing was illegal."

In January last year, Mr Martin was awarded an out-of-court civil settlement of more than $500,000 after he sued St Peter's College for failing to act on allegations against Mountford and for failing to provide a safe school environment.

Mountford was defiant as he left Australia in August 2007, after the Director of Public Prosecutions dropped the charges because Mr Martin was psychologically and physically unable to continue with the prosecution.

Moments before flying out of Adelaide Airport Mountford said: "How would you feel? Relieved to be leaving and going back to my family but angry that I haven't been given the opportunity to demonstrate my innocence of these dreadful allegations with hard evidence."

St Peter's College headmaster Philip Grutzner yesterday said the school was "most disappointed" that the criminal charges were dropped.

"The school will continue to extend its care to any member of our school community who has been affected by the events surrounding Mr Mountford and encourages those affected to come forward so the school can assist them," Mr Grutzner said.

Premier Mike Rann yesterday said Mountford had brought "disgrace" upon himself, his profession and the church.

Libyan police said robbery did not appear to be a motive in the murder of Mountford, who was still on an Interpol watchlist for suspicions of child abuse.