Brian Dennis Cairns
Early Career
Brian Dennis Cairns was originally a member of the Christian Brothers. During the early 1970s he taught at several Catholic schools in Queensland, including:
St Laurence's College, South Brisbane
St Columban's College, Albion, Brisbane
Around the end of 1974, aged 33, Cairns left the Christian Brothers and became a lay teacher.
He subsequently taught at:
Iona College, Lindum (until 1977), conducted by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
St John Vianney Primary School, Manly, Brisbane (1978 to the early 1980s), where he served as principal.
Early Complaints
During the early 1980s, several former students reported to Queensland Police that Cairns had sexually abused them while they were children. Many other victims did not initially come forward because of fear, shame, embarrassment or concern that they would not be believed.
Former students have since described Cairns as presenting himself as a friendly and trusted teacher while grooming children entrusted to his care. Some victims recalled attempting to disclose the abuse to family members at the time but said their complaints were not understood or acted upon.
Criminal Charges
In April 1984, Queensland Police charged Brian Dennis Cairns with sexual offences involving 12 boys aged between 10 and 12 years.
Before the trial commenced, a group of parents sought restrictions on media reporting of the proceedings. The Queensland Minister for Justice declined the request, noting that the identities of child victims were already protected by law while the identity of an offender could be reported publicly.
1985 Conviction
Following a three-week jury trial in the Brisbane District Court in May 1985, Brian Dennis Cairns, then aged 43, was convicted of:
Three counts of attempted sodomy
Eight counts of gross indecency
Thirty-two counts of indecent treatment of schoolboys
The offences had occurred over several years while Cairns was employed as both a teacher and school principal.
Judge Kimmins sentenced Cairns to:
Seven years' imprisonment on each attempted sodomy charge;
Three years on each gross indecency charge; and
Five years on each indecent treatment charge,
with all sentences to be served concurrently.
After remission, Cairns served approximately four and a half years in prison.
During sentencing, Judge Kimmins emphasised the responsibility schools have to protect children placed in their care, observing that educational institutions have a duty to ensure that people with abnormal sexual interests are not placed in positions of trust over children.
To protect the privacy of the victims, the court prohibited publication of the trial evidence, although Cairns' identity was reported publicly.
Further Police Investigation
Following Cairns' release from prison, additional former students continued to report allegations of child sexual abuse to detectives from the Queensland Police Child and Sexual Assault Investigation Unit.
Police identified many further victims who had never previously reported the abuse.
Additional Charges
In 2013, Cairns was charged with 44 additional child sexual offences involving 18 boys aged between eight and thirteen years.
The offences included:
Two counts of sodomy;
Multiple counts of indecent treatment of children; and
Multiple counts of indecent dealing with children.
The abuse occurred over approximately nine years in a variety of locations, including classrooms, camping trips, Cairns' home and at a wedding.
Prosecutors told the court that Cairns systematically groomed and abused boys placed in his care, supplying alcohol and cigarettes to some victims and using threats to maintain their silence.
2014 Sentencing
Brian Dennis Cairns pleaded guilty to all additional charges.
Because of the guilty pleas, the victims were not required to give evidence in court.
On 13 January 2014, the Brisbane District Court sentenced Cairns, then aged 72, to five years' imprisonment.
Taking into account the time already served for his earlier convictions, the court ordered that Cairns serve a further nine months in custody, with the balance of the sentence suspended.
The sentencing judge rejected submissions that Cairns should receive a non-custodial sentence because of his age and poor health, finding that the seriousness of the offending required a further term of imprisonment.
Victims Attend Sentencing
Although they were not required to appear in court, a number of Cairns' victims attended the sentencing hearing to witness the outcome.
Media organisations reported the sentencing, and television news captured Cairns arriving at court before he was taken into custody.
Civil Claims
Following the criminal proceedings, some former students from four Catholic schools sought legal advice regarding civil claims against the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane, alleging that Church authorities failed to protect children from Brian Cairns while he was employed in Catholic education.
Summary
Brian Dennis Cairns was a former Christian Brother who later worked as a lay teacher and principal in Catholic schools in Queensland. He was first imprisoned in 1985 for multiple child sexual offences against schoolboys and was convicted again in 2014 after pleading guilty to dozens of additional offences involving eighteen former students. His known victims attended several Catholic schools where he taught during the 1970s and early 1980s.
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