Penrhos College sex abuse scandal: Accused ex-teacher Jay Walsh taught students at Stage Door School of Performing Arts

One of the two former Penrhos College teachers accused of sexually abusing students at the school in the 1980s has recently been teaching drama classes to children and teenagers. Detectives investigating claims made against Harry Schmitz and Jay Walsh have been approached by potential new victims and witnesses from the prestigious school since the teachers’ identities were revealed in The West Australian yesterday. Police allege the pair abused two teenage girls from the college between 1982 and 1986 and, while they did not abuse the girls at the same time, they worked “in conjunction with each other”, police say. Allegations of sex abuse at the school were referred to police two years ago. After Penrhos sent a letter to former students following the release of the final report from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, six potential abuse victims came forward with their stories. It’s understood that detectives have been trying to make contact with any ex-students and staff who were at Penrhos during the period the accused men taught at the Como school. They both left the school in 1988. No new charges have been laid, but the investigation is expected to continue for some time. Mr Walsh, 72, has most recently been employed by the Stage Door School of Performing Arts, where he worked with children aged from eight to 19 during classes run after school and on weekends. The school’s director, Ian Westrip, said Mr Walsh had been stood down after his working with children card had been withdrawn. “It is all a shock to us,” Mr Westrip said. “He was a valued teacher by me and the students here.” It also emerged yesterday that Mr Walsh worked briefly at a Catholic school after police said he and Mr Schmitz left Penrhos “under a cloud”. A spokesperson for Catholic Education WA said it had not been contacted by police in relation to his employment in a Catholic school. Mr Schmitz, 68, the managing partner at Elizabeth’s Bookshops Australia, has been charged with one count of rape. Mr Walsh, a drama coach and marriage celebrant, faces three counts of indecent assault and one count of carnal knowledge of a female under 17 years by a guardian. Radio 6PR has severed ties with both men, who had regular slots on a Sunday night program as historians. A 6PR spokesperson yesterday told The West Australian they were “aware of the charges against Mr Schmitz and Mr Walsh”. “We will not be having them continue in their unpaid contributor roles until these serious charges have been dealt with by the legal system,” they added. Mr Schmitz, 68, has denied the allegations and vowed to fight the charge against him in court. Mr Walsh, 72, declined to comment on the charges when contacted by The West.