Following the arrest of eight men with past links to the college, Old Boys secretary Lachlan Sullivan said a presumption of innocence was the law in this country.

The accused, aged from 47 to 79, have been arrested and charged by a police strike force set up to investigate allegations of child sexual abuse in local schools.

Mr Sullivan, a former Stannies’ student, said he believed the men had already been tried by the media.

“I think people have forgotten there is a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise,” Mr Sullivan said.

“There is certainly a lot of concern from all sectors of the community about how this matter has been portrayed in the media.”

Mr Sullivan said many former students had been subjected to unsavoury remarks in the community about being a Stannies’ boy.

A collective of former students, parents and members of the Catholic community have attended many of the preliminary court appearances to publicly show their support for the defendants.