Teacher Brendan Drought massaged students and flicked a girl’s bra strap, court hears

A relief teacher teacher who repeatedly walked in on students changing, and massaged and kissed them despite cries for him to stop has walked away from court.

A TEACHER who repeatedly walked in on female students while changing, massaged their shoulders and flicked the bra strap of one girl has walked from court on a good behaviour bond.

Brendan Michael Drought told the girls “we are family” when he walked in on them.

The 61-year-old also kissed two of the teenagers on the forehead after giving them a shoulder massage at school.

Teacher Brendan Michael Drought (right) leaves Southport Magistrates Court after being sentenced for touching students' bra straps and walking in while they were changing.

Drought tried to massage five students in total at two schools. News Corp is prohibited from publishing the names of the schools for legal reasons.

The incidents took place between May 2018 and November last year.

Drought, 61, pleaded guilty in the Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday to five counts of common assault and one count of observations in breach of privacy.

One girl told Drought: “Can you not. I don’t like people touching my neck.”

When Drought tried to massage the shoulder of a student, the child said: “I don’t like that, can you not do that.”

He thanked her for telling him that but later that day ran his hand down the side of her neck.

Another day he ran his hand from her back to her tailbone.’

Gold Coast teacher Brendan Drought massaged students’ shoulders, flicked a girl’s bra strap and walked in on students changing. He was placed on a $2000 good behaviour bond for two years when he appeared in Southport court. No conviction was recorded. pic.twitter.com/4ISBDU9kLj

— Lea Emery (@leae) October 27, 2021

Drought’s barrister described the incidents as a “blip” and “not reflective of his true nature”.

Drought was suspended from his job in December last year and suspended without pay earlier this month.

The College of Teachers suspended his teacher registration in August.

The college is expected to make a decision in the coming months about whether Drought’s registration will be cancelled.

Prosecutor Gavin Reece said the incidents were “quite concerning behaviour” and noted “there seems to be an ongoing pattern”.

At one school, Drought told the teenage female students they should change in the classroom rather than the toilets.

Drought walked in on them changing multiple times and made the comment: “We are family.”

The male students were changing in the toilets.

During the massages, he put his hand under the bra strap of one girl, put his hand under the shirt of another and flicked the bra strap of a third child.

When a girl hugged Drought, he told her they could not do that in front of other teachers.

Defence barrister Marcin Lazinski said: “This is a blip on an otherwise successful contributor to the community and it is something that appears to be not reflective of his true nature.”

Mr Lazinski said the touching was “fleeting” and “the actual quality of the conduct he has engaged in is to the lower end of assault”.

“What makes this serious is that he is in the position as a teacher and it involves students.”

Mr Lazinski tendered to the court apology letters Drought had written to the five students.

Magistrate Lousia Pink placed Drought on a $2000 good behaviour bond for two years.

No conviction was recorded.

“Your conduct is more serious and involved five students and that involved a breach of privacy,” she said.

“It occurred at two schools but there is the same breach of trust between student and teacher. There is no suggestion of a sexual aspect to the offending.”

Drought became a teacher in 2008 after studying at Griffith University.

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Originally published as Teacher Brendan Drought massaged students and flicked a girl’s bra strap, court hears