The Mornington Peninsula daycare sexual abuse case

In 1992, the Mornington Child-Care Centre and Nursery School was deregistered following a Victorian government inquiry that found children attending the centre had been sexually abused. The inquiry concluded that the owners, Norman and Alison Shulver, had either facilitated or directly participated in the abuse. It stated:

“There is a substantial amount of evidence that the person or persons who actually committed the acts of abuse may have included Norman Shulver.”

The inquiry found that Alison Shulver was likely to have known about the abuse of the children in their care.

At least fifteen children, all under the age of four, disclosed to their parents and police that they had been sexually and physically abused at the Centre, although it was believed the number of victims was significantly higher. These children were referred to Monash Medical Centre for counselling and support. Some reported being driven from the childcare centre to another house where they were raped, filmed, and subjected to extreme abuse, including being urinated and defecated upon and forced to participate in violent and sexual “games.” Children also described perpetrators wearing “funny clothes,” such as clown suits and masks.

Forensic assessments identified medical evidence of sexual assault for three girls. One child presented with a broken cheekbone, reporting she had been punched by a perpetrator after failing to comply with his demands. Although the government inquiry accepted the children were telling the truth, criminal charges were not pursued because the children were deemed too young to serve as reliable witnesses. The Shulvers denied all allegations and unsuccessfully appealed the inquiry’s findings in the Supreme Court.

After relocating to Queensland, Norman Shulver retaliated by publishing the names and addresses of the complainant children online in 2000. This material remained accessible until removed by the Victorian Privacy Commissioner in 2004. In 2005, Norman Shulver pled guilty to publishing material likely to identify victims of sexual offences and was fined $800.

The abuse at the Centre first came to official attention in 1988, four years before the Centre’s eventual closure. The mother of a child attending the Centre reported to police that Norman Shulver had sexually abused her daughter. However, an inquiry later found that a police sergeant closed the case merely because Shulver denied the allegations. Police claimed they had notified Community Services Victoria (CSV), though CSV denied receiving any such report. The Centre remained operational despite the Shulvers refusing access to CSV inspectors.

In 1991, new allegations emerged when police were notified that Shulver was alleged to have sexually abused a three-year-old girl. The child described multiple incidents involving herself and six other children. Subsequent interviews with these children corroborated her account, prompting a broader police investigation. Meanwhile, CSV inspectors grew concerned as the Shulvers continued to aggressively barr entry to the Centre. Nevertheless, the facility continued operating until deregistration in 1992.

In 2004, an Ombudsman’s inquiry found the original police investigation into the preschool abuse inadequate and ordered the case reopened. However, parents of children in the case reported later that year that they were never contacted by police as part of the review of the case.

References

Crutchfield, C. (1992). Group work with ritually abused children. Paper presented at A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective on Satanic Ritual Abuse, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton.
Doran, M. (2004, May 11). Abuse site dumped. Mornington Peninsula Leader, p. 1.
Doran, M. (2004, May 4). Justice is too late for family. Mornington Peninsula Leader, pp. 1, 8.
Doran, M. (2005, August 2). Parents say fine an insult: $800 penalty for net claims. Mornington Peninsula Leader, p. 1.
Hughes, G. (2004, July 8). Inquiry finds fault with sex crime squad. The Age, p. 2.
Hughes, G. (2004, July 8). Police 'failed' on child sex abuse cases. The Age, p. 1.
Hughes, G. (2004, April 19). Police files on sex abuse 'vanished'. The Age, p. 5.
Hughes, G. (2004, August 30). Police officers still under scrutiny on abuse cases. The Age, p. 5.
Hughes, G. (2005, March 2). New doubts on Bracks' police corruption watchdog. The Age, p. 3.
Milburn, C. (1992, March 3). Child-care centre shut: Inquiry finds sexual abuse of children. The Age.
Milburn, C. (1992, March 9). First child-abuse claims were in 1989, says police. The Age, p. 4.
Milburn, C. (1992, March 4). Parents alerted by their toddlers' nightmares. The Age, p. 4.
Richardson, L., & Meyer, M. (1992). Working with ritually abused children: An individual perspective. Paper presented at A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective on Satanic Ritual Abuse, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton.