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Student paid $30,000 "hush'' money by Department over false porn charges

22/10/13

A former student wrongly accused of visiting hundreds of pornography websites was paid $30,000 in “hush” money by the South Australian Department of Education to remain silent on the matter, according to the ABC. The former student was wrongly accused of accessing pornography through his school internet account nine years ago, when in fact, an investigation later found that a teacher had used the student’s internet log-in to view the sites. “We were never given any documents, we were never provided with anything to show what it was that I was supposed to have accessed. It was just allegations against me,” the former student said. He was suspended for five days and eventually dropped out of school, never finishing his high school certificate. Last year, the former student raised the issue with the Department of Education, and was offered $30,000, on the condition he keep the details of the case confidential. The case led to a Royal Commission that criticised the senior officials involved in organising the settlement money. The teacher has since, been stood down on full pay.

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