Mackay music teacher Adrian Kenneth Douglas Redfern pleads guilty child grooming

A music teacher who sent one of his underage students disturbing and graphic sexual messages including what he wanted to do to her has been sentenced in court. Find out who he is and what he did.

A Mackay music teacher sent one of his underage students disturbing and graphic sexual messages including what he wanted to do to her and asking how she wanted to lose her virginity.

The 40 year old will spend the next four months in jail for grooming the vulnerable teenage girl over about six months.

Mackay District Court heard Adrian Kenneth Douglas Redfern once touched the girl inappropriately during a private lesson at his home studio and said “see I touched you”.

The pair began guitar lessons sometime before the offending occurred. They later began texting – she shared details of her life, he shared details of his marriage problems.

“The tone of the conversation has then escalated and become sexual in nature,” Crown prosecutor Julie Aylward said.

The court heard he called her pet names and in one message wrote “don’t make me spank you”.

She shared things that were happening in her life, which Ms Aylward said importantly were not conversations where she was engaging Redfern in any flirtations, but which did discuss sexual things.

The court heard he escalated the tone, sharing his sexual fetishes and offering to “buy her a clit pump”.

“He then during a conversation about alcohol changed the topic and asked when she was going to try anal,” Ms Aylward said.

Adrian Kenneth Douglas Redfern walking into Mackay courthouse before he was jailed for 15 months for child grooming.

The court heard Redfern messaged her, “lol you probably shouldn’t tell me any naughty stuff, I don’t want to end up in jail”.

Redfern then escalated the conversations further by graphically describing what he wanted to do to her including what would happen if she lost her virginity to him.

Redfern pleaded guilty to child grooming and indecent treatment of a child.

“He was aware of the vulnerabilities (of the child) because she discussed them with him,” Ms Aylward said, labelling it ”disturbing offending” and a breach of trust.

“He exploited her gradually at a vulnerable age when she was openly sharing with him that she was going through a difficult time.

“It’s clear from what she said that she was trying to talk up her experiences, trying to play an adult but it was nothing compared to the graphic nature and the subject matter that he exposed her to.”

Judge Julie Dick said the law around these charges were as much about protecting children from themselves as adults.

The child grooming occurred over six months in 2020.

“Mature men are expected to understand that young people … haven’t got the emotional maturity to make reasoned decisions about matters of a sexual nature,” Judge Dick said.

A psychologist report labelled Redfern as a low-level risk of reoffending but noted he failed to understand the mental difference between him and the young teen.

The court heard he had been suffering from agoraphobia and social anxiety at the time of the offending and as a result had lost his marriage, job and would never be able to teach children again.

Defence barrister Scott McLennan said his client had taught thousands of students in his career and handed up seven character references that offered a “glowing” report.

“I think it is aberrate behaviour … he made a giant error,” Judge Dick said, adding she also accepted the extra curial punishment he had suffered.

Redfern was jailed for 15 months suspended after four months. Convictions were recorded and he will become a reported child sex abuse offender.