Crime: 14-year-old student girl molested by Catholic school teacher

A 14-year-old student girl was reportedly molested by a teacher at Budapest Ward Mária Primary and High School. According to sources, the said teacher repeatedly kissed and touched the underage pupil before action was taken by the police.  Now there is an ongoing investigation into the crime of indecent assault.

The story goes back to the summer of 2022 when two fellow teachers reported their suspicious colleague to the principal. However, the parents were only informed by the police; the school’s leadership remained silent. Shockingly, the accused teacher wasn’t suspended with immediate effect following the report. He only left the institution two weeks ago, reports Telex.

No actions taken

The issue was brought to the parents’ attention in spring. That was when Luca (all the names involved have been changed for the purpose of defending the victim and her family), the victim told her parents that one of the teachers at her school had a “more intimate” relationship with some of his students, and many disliked him for this reason.

In the summer, after a school trip that both parties attended, two teachers notified the school’s leadership that their colleague was acting suspiciously, and an internal investigation was needed. Neither Luca nor her parents have been questioned throughout the proceedings. The investigation found no issue with the accused teacher, and he was allowed to keep working. However, the concerned teachers did not give up and contacted the operator of the school. They also filed a police report, before resigning.

Crime investigation

Kata, the mother of the student was only informed about the alleged crime by the police. They called her in August, as they wanted to interrogate Luca about the incident. That was when Luca told her parents that this teacher touched her multiple times, including her butt, and kissed and hugged her repeatedly out of school bounds.

“We don’t get it. If the police had information about what happened to my child, how come that the board of directors didn’t reach out to us to ask what may have happened?”

– asked Kata furiously.

After police interference, Luca was given permission to not attend further classes by this teacher. The family tried for 6 months to have him removed from her class but to no avail. In the end, Luca resorted to leaving the school. Finally, two weeks ago, the teacher was suspended.

School operator denies responsibility

Telex approached both the Congregatio Jesu convent, the previous operator of the school, and the Hungarian Benedictine Congregation of the Pannonhalmi Archabbey, the current one. In their mutual response, they expressed their shock and disbelief.

According to Congregatio Jesu, they were only informed about the situation in February 2023 by the parents. They knew about the report filed in August, however, they claim that at the time there was no reference to the crime of possible sexual abuse.

They further claim that they only learned about the serious gravity of the case on 27 March, through another letter they received from Luca’s parents. Following this event, they confronted the teacher and suspended him with the approval of the school’s leadership.

What’s next?

Kata says that a change in ownership was needed for actions to finally be taken. According to her, the school’s board of directors was aware of the situation but tried to conceal the facts. The parents made several attempts to get in contact with them, but their letters received no answers.

The mother is now worried that the teacher might continue his work at a different institution and could be a threat to other children as well. The V. District Police Precinct is conducting an investigation on the basis of the accusation of indecent assault. Due to the ongoing process, they did not share further information.

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Source: Telex