John Vincent Lewis guilty of child sex offences

A retired Queensland primary school teacher, who abused at least 20 girls in his time in the trusted role, has been jailed for his crimes, some of which took place in front of the classroom.

A former teacher who preyed on students, openly molesting young girls in front of their classmates, has been sentenced to jail.

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.

The court adjourned overnight on Thursday as Judge Suzanne Sheridan considered where the offending fitted in terms of the previous sentences.

Lewis’ defence barrister argued against jail time on the principle of totality and told the court of Lewis’ ongoing health issues.

On Friday morning however, Judge Sheridan determined that while those health issues along with the poor health of his wife and the time he had already spent in custody for similar offending from the same period were mitigating factors, it was not enough to prevent him from being required to serve time in actual custody.

She said his actions against the three victims were a gross breach of trust on vulnerable young girls.

Lewis was sentenced to 18 months in prison to be suspended after three months.

The three women brought his total number of victims to 20, the Hervey Bay District Court heard.

Lewis, who was a Maryborough primary school teacher in the 1970s and ’80s, was a “prolific child sex offender, consistent and brazen in nature”.

John Vincent Lewis (right) with his lawyer outside Hervey Bay District Court.

He had faced a total of 37 charges in relation to the 20 victims after he was first brought before the courts in 1986.

His guilty plea in 1986 resulted in him spending four months in jail and effectively ended his teaching career.

But further offending was uncovered during a Royal Commission into child sex offences, resulting in the prosecutions in 2017 and 2019.

The three victims in court for the fresh charges had been abused in 1979, the court was told.

The court heard how Lewis had openly molested the girls in front of other children, touching their breasts and genitalia.

Eventually he was well known as someone to avoid among the children at the school, with one victim tearfully reading her victim impact statement to the court, telling Judge Sheridan that she had avoided any situation in which she could be alone with Lewis.

A second victim, who also read her statement to the court, told of how Lewis “smirked and licked his lips” when she first entered his classroom.

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

The survivors told of how, as children, they had not had a voice to speak against their teacher, who had such authority over them.

One told of how he had befriended her parents, who thought he was “wonderful”, which made her feel she could not confide in them about the abuse.

More to come.