Benjamin Heels and Tristan Cullinan-Smayle: Music teacher and partner preyed on students

A music teacher and his long-term partner who preyed on young students have learnt their fate in a Melbourne court. WARNING: Graphic

WARNING: Graphic

A Melbourne music teacher and his partner who gratified one another sexually through pictures of students and by performing unseen sexual acts in their presence have had their offending labelled as “disgusting, depraved and obscene” by a sentencing judge in the County Court of Victoria on Friday.

Benjamin Heels, a former teacher at Fountain Gate Secondary College in Melbourne’s southeast, and his long-term partner Tristan Cullinan-Smayle, have previously pleaded guilty to a combined 51 sexual offences between them.

Heels, who was charged with 28 offences, including performing sexual acts in front of children under the age of 16, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of minors, sexually touching a minor and transmitting child abuse material, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his crimes.

Tristan Cullinan-Smayle and Ben Heels were sentenced in the County Court on Friday for more than 50 child sex offences. Picture: Facebook

Cullinan-Smayle, who was charged with 23 offences, including trying to procure sexual activity with children under the age of 16 and transmitting sexual abuse material, was hit with a 10-year sentence.

The court was told that Heels, who taught music across a variety of venues in Melbourne’s southeast, would masturbate during his students’ piano lessons and use his phone and iPad to secretly record them.

On one occasion he also touched a student with his penis, the court was told.

Heels would also send non-sexual pictures and videos of students to Cullinan-Smayle over Telegram, where the pair would then have highly sexualised discussions regarding the victims, the court was told.

Cullinan-Smayle would gather photographs of children, one as young as nine months old, in order to send to Heels to facilitate sexualised conversations.

Heels was a music teacher who would masturbate in the presence of students without their knowledge, a court has been told. Picture: Facebook

Another victim was targeted by Cullinan-Smayle over Snapchat, and asked about their interests and sexual preferences, before repeatedly trying to meet up with the minor – even after being “unfriended” on social media, the court was told.

Judge Syme said some the offending transmitted by the pair over Telegram were “serious examples” of child abuse material.

She said it had been submitted the pair were in a “co-dependent” relationship with one another, and had lived with one another since 2010.

The court heard Heels and Cullinan-Smayle were in a sexually open relationship.

Cullinan-Smayle and Heels were in an ‘open’ long-term relationship, the County Court was told. Picture: Facebook

Judge Syme said Heels had “capitulated” to the sexual demands of his partner but accepted he was aroused by their “taboo” nature.

Heels will be eligible for parole in August 2028, with pre-sentence detention considered, while Cullinan-Smayle will be eligible for parole in December 2027 with his time already served taken into consideration, Judge Syme ruled.

Both men have been placed on the sex offenders’ list and must comply with the reporting obligations for the rest of their lives.

Originally published as Benjamin Heels and Tristan Cullinan-Smayle: Music teacher and partner preyed on students