Victim of sex assault teacher Shane Andrew Matthews speaks: ‘You’re supposed to be safe at school’

ONE of 15 students sexually abused by a Sydney assistant principal told a court he was let down by his school and teachers who knew his attacker was breaking the rules.

Former school principal Shane Andrew Matthews has been convicted of sexually abusing 15 students. Picture: Supplied

ONE of 15 students sexually abused by a Sydney assistant principal told a court he was let down by his school and teachers who knew his attacker was breaking the rules.

The teenager struggled to breathe as he looked at his former teacher — Shane Andrew Matthews — and spoke of how he wore a tight swimming costume to school everyday in the hope it would protect him.

He also spoke of his helplessness when his desk was moved next to Matthews at the back of the classroom.

Victims of the teacher have told of their fear at having to interact with him. Picture: Supplied

Matthews dressed as super hero “Captain Obvious” on special days he used to groom his victims.

“I felt scared and frustrated, I didn’t know what to do and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to stop it,” he told Campbelltown District Court on Monday.

“I would have loved to have been strong enough to have talked about it sooner ... if I had I may have been able to save others,” he said dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief.

“You are supposed to be safe at school and I was let down.”

Matthews, 31, has pleaded guilty to 33 counts of child sexual abuse which occurred mostly when he was a teacher at Wattle Grove Public School between 2011 and 2015.

His victims were aged between 10 and 12 and were groomed with fake classroom money and given prizes on ‘Superhero” days when Matthews would dress up as self-styled character “Captain Obvious”.

Three other students wrote victim impact statements which were read to the court during Matthew’s sentencing hearing.

“Mr Matthew’s destroyed that innocence in me and I don’t know how to get that back,” one boy wrote.

Wattle Grove Public School. The accused was a teacher at the school for seven years.

Another boy said, “I felt scared because I had this dark secret within me ... I didn’t think people would believe me”.

The last victim said he now had anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

“This has made me feel insecure about myself, it made me feel like I am a nobody.”

Matthews’ 33 offences include five counts of persistent sexual abuse of a child; 10 of aggravated indecent assault of a person aged under 16 and 11 of procuring a child under 14 for unlawful sexual activity

He was a teacher at Wattle Grove for seven years before becoming an assistant principal at Campbelltown’s Woodland Road Public School in 2016.

Matthews had students commit acts of indecency on themselves and he performed sexual acts on them — mostly in the classroom.

He will be sentenced in the NSW District Court at a later date.