After Brisbane Grammar School teacher Greg Masters was found dead on Thursday, blogger Brenden Sheehan has come forward to explain why he went public with his allegations of sexual abuse against Masters. Masters allegedly committed suicide after Sheehan accused him of being a paedophile on his blog that was published on Tuesday night.

Sheehan, 46, said the reason behind speaking up about incidents that took place when both he and Masters were teenagers 30 years ago is to encourage others who might have faced sexual abuse to stand up for themselves . The blog post written by Sheehan accused Masters of drugging him and then sexually abusing him.

Brisbane Grammar School has issued a formal statement saying it has not received any complaints against Masters during his 21 years of association with the school. It is also understood that the teacher might have denied the allegations.

BGS learnt about the blog on Tuesday night and Masters was found dead in non-suspicious circumstances on Thursday morning.

The author said he would stand by his decision to divulge details of the events that happened to him as a child on his blog but expressed his deep condolences to the late teacher’s family. He said that it was tough for him to decide whether to dig it up after so many years, but added that he felt compelled to write as the deadline given by the Royal Commission to victims to provide evidence about their experiences in BGS and St. Pauls was looming.

"I wanted to show some courage in talking about these matters because I know from my own experience ... how difficult it is to both personally confront and to talk about what's happened to you," the Brisbane Times quoted him as saying. "There's a massive sense of shame and guilt and embarrassment. And in making the decision to write this article, I wanted to show others that there was none of those things, there was no shame and embarrassment and guilt, that you could write about it and be honest.”

The Brisbane Grammar School community and former students reacted with grief and shock to the sudden death of the English and Geography teacher.

Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below.

RELATED STORIES