John Vincent Lewis confronted by abuse survivors

Three women who were sexually abused by their primary school teacher have confronted him in court, as he was sentenced to just three months in jail.

It was a powerful moment.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, three women confronted the teacher who molested them as children for the first time.

John Vincent Lewis, 79, pleaded guilty in Hervey Bay District Court on Thursday to five counts of indecent dealing in relation to three women who were taught by him when they were nine and 10 years old.

He had previously served time in jail for similar offences on three occasions, including in 1986, 2017 and 2019 as victims reported him for sexual abuse.

Then, in 2020, three more women came forward, bringing his total number of victims to 20.

The three prepared victim impact statements and read them aloud to Judge Suzanne Sheridan and to Lewis, who was sitting in the dock of the court.

All three told of how Lewis had repeatedly brought them to the front of the classroom and molested them in front of their schoolmates, touching their breasts and genitalia.

“I get to be the voice of my 10-year-old self to say you damaged me,” one of the women said.

“You failed to protect me, to keep me safe. That was your job.”

The woman described how she had to strategise with her best friend about how to protect themselves from Lewis.

The second woman described how she had been abused in front of “25 school friends”.

She said the abuse had caused ongoing issues with her trust and sense of self worth.

The woman described how “every cell” in her body reacted with fear at the thought of Lewis.

“You chose this profession so you would have free access to children,” she said.

She described the way he “smirked and licked his lips” the day she first entered his classroom.

The woman told of how she was triggered by the smell of cheap aftershave, which would always be a reminder of the pain Lewis had caused.

The third woman said 40 years later, she was still coming to realise the impact Lewis’s offending had exacted on her.

She described how her heart would “pound through her chest” as she entered school grounds and she would avoid being in any situation where she might be alone with her teacher.

“It was physically and mentally exhausting,” she said.

John Vincent Lewis hunched over outside Hervey Bay District Court.

“I was always looking over my shoulder.”

She wanted to tell her parents about the abuse, but they thought Lewis was “wonderful”, she said.

He had befriended them, telling them he would help to improve her maths grades.

She recalled the pain of being told she was “lucky” to have Lewis for a teacher.

The woman said it was “torturous” to keep what was happening to herself.

“As I child I didn’t have a voice, but today I do,” she said.

Judge Sheridan said she had taken into account Lewis’ health issues.

The 79-year-old also cared for his wife, who had ongoing health issues.

She also factored in the time he had already served when he had faced court on the previous occasions.

But Judge Sheridan said she felt a further term of imprisonment was necessary given the seriousness of the offending.

Lewis was sentenced to 18 months in jail, to be released after three months.