Heath Jonathon Drage guilty of communicating to make child amenable to sexual activity

A school bus driver has been charged after trying to set-up a physical sexual relationship with a child he met on his regular school route.

A school bus driver who sent shirtless photos and talked about making a 14-year-old girl moan “so loud her roommate would have to wear headphones” has denied his actions were sexual in nature.

Upper Spencer Gulf bus driver Heath Jonathon Drage, 41, was found guilty in the Port Augusta District Court for charges related to text messages he sent to a 14-year-old student on his Port Pirie school bus route.

Drage exchanged a series of sexually explicit messages with the child and had began to plan a potential physical relationship in September 2021 after meeting the child while working for the Port Pirie Bus Service.

Crown prosecution said the messages sent over a two-week period in September 2021 were “precisely the messages an adult man would send to a 14-year-old girl to make her engage in sexual activity.”

“He made it sound as though there was no pressure at all, that was as good a strategy as any to make her feel as safe and loved as it would take for her to be with the accused sexually,” prosecution said.

Heath Jonathan Drage found guilty of three charges of make child amenable to sexual activity. Picture: Instagram

“Before long she was talking about sleeping together and moaning so loudly that her roommate would need headphones.”

Prosecution denied assertions made in court by Drage that he was acting as a “councillor” for the child

“I’m not being critical of the accused for being a bad councillor, I’m saying he wasn’t counselling her at all,” prosecution said.

“I’m talking about the shirtless photograph, professions of love and living together and fantasies about having sex together”.

“There were already messages about where it would be safe to meet.”

The court heard that Drage had sent the child a topless photo of himself lying on his bed; his lawyer argued it wasn’t sexually explicit in nature.

Drage also claimed messages about touching the child’s hand were in relation to giving her a high-five, the court heard.

Heath Jonathan Drage blamed his mental health and possible autism diagnosis for his offending. Picture: Instagram

Defence lawyer Sally Burgess said Drage developed concerns about the child’s mental health after hearing her talk about self harm on the bus.

Ms Burgess further argued the child may have developed a “teenage crush”.

The presiding jury deliberated for around 30 minutes before delivering a unanimous guilty verdict to all three charges of communicate to make child amenable to sexual activity.

Judge Gordon Barrett denied an application for bail on home detention for Drage, deeming the offending “too serious in nature.”

Drage will be sentenced in the Adelaide Magistrates court later this year.