The suicide of a senior teacher at Perth’s only Jewish school is believed to be linked to child sex offense charges against him. Jeff Cahill, 48, the head science teacher at Carmel School, apparently committed suicide on June 6 – one day after police searched his home and charged him with sex offenses against a minor, according to the Sunday Times. He was believed to be involved with a 15-year-old boy – who was not a student at Carmel – he had met through the Internet. Carmel School president Alan Hershowitz told the Australian Jewish News that Cahill was immediately suspended as soon as the school became aware of the allegations. More than 500 family, friends, colleagues and students attended his funeral on June 13. Last year, Cahill was a finalist for the auspicious $50,000 Premier’s Prize for Excellence in Secondary Science Teaching. Perth, one of the most remote Jewish communities in the world, has a population of about 7,000 Jews.
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