Former security guard jailed for abusing nine students at Yeshivah College
Shannon Deery
Herald Sun
20 December 2013

A FORMER staff member at a prestigious orthodox Jewish College has been jailed for molesting nine students there.
David Samuel Cyprys, 44, was first found guilty of indecent assault on a young boy at Yeshivah College in 1991.
After walking from court with a $1500 fine, good behaviour bond and no conviction, he was allowed to continue working at the school.
At the time the extent of his offending was not known.
He was later charged with more than 40 offences spanning the 1980s and 1990s against nine children aged between seven and 17.
After a jury, in September, found him guilty of five charges of rape against one former student Cyprys admitted assaulting another eight complainants.
For much of the time he was employed as a karate instructor and security guard at the college.
He also abused while on a youth camp organised by the Yeshivah Centre. County Court Judge Peter Wischusen said while Cyprys was young when he offended it was sustained abuse on vulnerable victims.
Jailing Cyprys for eight years Judge Wischusen said Cyprys has also threatened victims to keep the abuse a secret.
Some of it took place in religious buildings at Yeshivah Centre. Cyprys is the second teacher from the college to be jailed this year for sex crimes against children.
In July former teacher David Kramer was jailed for "unforgivable" crimes on four students at the school.
The 53-year-old pedophile was the first member of a Jewish institution in Australia to have admitted - and been sentenced for - child sex crimes.
After parents raised suspicions he had assaulted students he was allowed to flee Australia.
After going to Israel Kramer moved back to his native US where he abused another student and was jailed.
Founder and CEO of Victim support group Tzedek Manny Waks said today it was astounding Cyprys was allowed to continue working at the Yeshivah Centre and school.
"Despite all they knew they allowed him to remain in a position of authority within the Yeshivah Centre," he said.
"It is unfathomable how he was allowed to not only remain within the centre completely unmonitored and unsupervised but in fact had a leadership role.
"He was the person in charge of security.
"While today's proceedings against David Cyprys are concluding in a criminal sense we are only commencing the prospect for action against thsoe in leadership positions who were around in the last few decades and during the time of the abuse and subsequent alleged cover-ups who faciltated David Cyprys," he said.
Giving evidence at a bail application hearing informant Senior Detective Lisa Metcher told the Melbourne Magistrates Court sections of the Jewish community had hindered the police investigation into Cyprys.
"They have failed to act in any way to protect the children and the matters have been swept under the carpet," Sen Det Metcher said.
"Lies have been told to police ... information has been twisted or covered up," she said.
Former principal Rabbi Abraham Glick last year admitted he knew in the early 2000s of rumours that Cyrprys had abused students but did not act.
Rabbi Glick, who was in charge of the college between 1986 and 2007, was this month stood down from his high ranking position at the school after he was questioned about allegations levelled at him.
He has not been charged by police with any offending and has vigorously denied the allegations.
Cyprys must serve a non-parole period of five and half years.
Originally published at Herald Sun.