lil angel15
Bluelight Crew
Roleystone vet took advantage of local teens: inquest
5th October 2007, 14:15 WST
Roleystone veterinarian Marcel Christiaan-Rauch created an environment for teen drug abuse and sexual exploitation which ultimately led to death of 17-year-old David Spry, the Deputy State Coroner found today.
Stopping short of laying personal blame on Mr Christiaan-Rauch, Evelyn Vicker said Mr Spry’s death was the culmination of drug abuse facilitated, promoted and encouraged by Mr Christiaan-Rauch at his Roleystone property more than eight years ago.
Mr Spry was found dead at the Robinson Road property in February 1999 after overdosing on the anaesthetic ketamine, known as Special K, and halothane.
The inquest, which concluded today, was adjourned in 2005 after police charged Mr Christiaan-Rauch, 58, with 54 offences including manslaughter, drug offences and child sex abuse.
But he died in March this year, on the anniversary of Mr Spry’s birthday, just months before he was due to face a District Court trial.
Mr Spry’s father, Ian said outside the court he still felt that his son’s death wasn’t accidental and was frustrated that Mr Christiaan-Rauch wasn’t alive to face up to what he had done.
“If he’d been there to face it and stood up in front of the community and had to look people in the eye, saying look what I am, I might have got more out of it,” he said.
A parade of witnesses testified during the inquest that Mr Christiaan-Rauch had supplied drugs he used in his veterinary surgery to young boys and men who lived and visited his property.
Many witnesses also testified that they had seen sexual contact between Mr Christiaan-Rauch and Mr Spry, as well as with other boys.
According to one witness there was a standing offer in the house of $400 for anyone who was willing to perform oral sex on Mr Christiaan-Rauch.
Another witness testified that Mr Christiaan-Rauch had bought Mr Spry a Honda CRX worth about $10,000 as well as a play station and television and had taken him on a trip to Singapore a few weeks before his death.
Outside the court, Mr Spry’s older brother Andrew said the place had no rules and that Mr Christiaan-Rauch was a master manipulator.
“You could do whatever you liked on his property and he encouraged you to do what you wanted but he would control which avenues you went down,” he said. “You never got anything for free and looking back on it we were just puppets and he was the puppet-master pulling all the strings.”
Ian Spry said he hoped his’ son’s death would encourage other kids to come forward who are in similar circumstances.
Ms Vicker also found that Mr Christiaan-Rauch had moved Mr Spry’s body after he died and removed any evidence of drug use in order to disguise the true circumstances within the household.
“I just hope that if there are any other kids out there in similar situations that they do have the chance to prevent lives being taken, that they do have the chance to bring these people to justice if they step forward.”
PHILIPPA PERRY
The West Australian