'Handful' of alleged former Prospect High School abusers uncovered after public callout, lawyer says

The ads began running last week and are part of a wider effort by Maurice Blackburn Lawyers to investigate historical abuse allegations in Tasmanian public schools by the firm's clients.

The firm is also investigating claims of historical abuse at schools in Cressy and Huon Valley, among others.

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Specifically, the ads are calling for anyone who attended Prospect High School between 1980 and 1990 with information that could help the investigation to get in contact either online or over the phone. The ad stresses any contact can be made "in the strictest confidence".

Maurice Blackburn institutional child abuse lawyer Zoe Papageorgiou said after the ads went out, the number of calls began to increase.

"The day after that ad came out, we had more than 10 calls and then it's been a steady flow of consistent calls over the last week and this week as the ads circulate," she said.

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According to Ms Papageorgiou, when the ad was first placed out, the firm was investigating one alleged perpetrator at the school.

Now, the firm is investigating "a handful".

"We had an existing client that came to us for advice about a civil compensation claim and that was the first time that I came across Prospect," she said.

"The result is that now it appears there were other perpetrators."

Ms Papageorgiou said it wasn't uncommon for more perpetrators to emerge once the investigation began..

"From experience, the unfortunate reality is that it's rarely an isolated event," she said.

The firm first began working with the initial Prospect High client in the middle of last year.

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"We spend a lot of time on the investigative stage - which is the purpose behind the witness ads," she said.

"We're really reliant on the community to come forward with any pieces of evidence they have so we can really know the culture of a school and understand what systems were in place."

Once the firm finishes its investigative phase, it will then move through the logistics of putting a civil case together. While Ms Papageorgiou said it was hard to put a timeline on when she would expect to bring a case forward but noted that in previous cases it was usually less than a year after first sitting down with a client.

"Not dragging legal processes out is very important. So we try to be as proactive as we can once we get instructions to file [the case]."

Until that time, details about the clients and alleged perpetrators will likely remain scarce.

Anyone wishing to contact Ms Papageorgiou should call 03 8102 2012 or visit mblackburn.com.au/abuse

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