Matt was abused by a Sydney Scout leader. Now he’s fighting a court decision that could end his pursuit of justice

Like many survivors of abuse, it took Matt Barker many years to confront his past. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Justice has already exacted a terrible toll on abuse survivor Matt Barker.

When he was just 11, Barker endured horrific, repeated abuse at the hands of his now convicted Scouts leader, Paul Hayes. He was abused in Hayes’s caravan in western Sydney and in his car on the way to and from his Scout Troop’s theatrical rehearsals.