Rex Walter Ryan indecently assaulted schoolgirls at Redan Primary School, Wendouree West Primary School

A self-described “gentleman” who spent years sexually assaulting young girls for his own perverted pleasure has finally been forced to pay for the sickening crimes he committed in Ballarat.

The victims of a former Ballarat primary school teacher who sexually touched students and called himself a “gentleman” have been left “haunted forever” by his sickening offending.

Rex Walter Ryan, 80, was sentenced at Ballarat County Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to nine counts of indecent assault against six girls between 1978 and 1981.

Ryan touched the genitalia of underage girls, some as young as eight, and in one instance placed a girl’s hand on his penis.

He committed the crimes when he was a teacher at Redan Primary School and Wendouree West Primary School.

At Redan, Ryan assaulted girls in a darkroom used to develop photographs.

A father of one victim confronted him, calling him an “animal”.

“You tampered with my daughter,” he said.

At the time, Ryan denied his actions and no charges were laid.

Rex Ryan assaulted girls when he worked at Redan Primary School and Wendouree West Primary School. Picture: File

At Wendouree West, the offending occurred in classrooms, during a swimming lesson, and after a PE class.

One girl told her mother that Ryan had been touching her, and the mother appeared to “shut down”.

When, near the school one day, the daughter pointed Ryan out again, the mother told her to get to class.

Another victim felt as if her assault “went on for the whole lesson”, though it “may have only been a couple of minutes”.

She took a toffee from Ryan’s desk in an effort to get back at him, and then ran home to tell her mother what happened.

Court documents say that when the mother and student got to the school’s office, Ryan and the principal – a Mr Willcox – “dominated the conversation” and focused on the stolen sweet.

The abused girl had to apologise to Ryan for the toffee theft and was removed from his class.

Victims told the court they were “haunted forever”, were “left broken”, and had their faith in adults destroyed.

Ryan appeared at court by video from custody on Thursday. Picture: File

In two 2024 police interviews, Ryan admitted to some accusations and denied others.

He spoke about his sexual urges toward children, particularly eight-year-old girls.

“One of my rationalising (sic) is that I’m a gentleman,” he said.

“I don’t force; I didn’t penetrate.

“ … Those rationalisings must have been floating to enable myself, but my gratification was that it was the most beautiful thing in the world.”

He expressed remorse for the harm he caused, and at court, part of a letter was read in which Ryan apologised to his victims for robbing them of their innocence.

The court heard that while in his mid-20s, Ryan - a Seventh-day Adventist - worked as a missionary in Papua New Guinea and had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old maid, which led to his excommunication.

When he sought help through prayer, he felt “a lack of divine support” and rejected his faith.

He ended up working in 10 Victorian primary schools, all but one in Ballarat, over 11 years.

Ryan was convicted in 1985 of five counts of indecent assault involving five complainants from offending committed when he worked at Black Hill Primary School after Redan and Wendouree West.

In 1993, he spent time in prison for offending against an eight-year-old girl.

On Thursday, Ryan was sentenced to three years and 11 months’ jail, with a non-parole period of two years and six months.

Outside court, Ryan’s sentence was described as “inadequate” and “lousy”.

After the court was adjourned, one person present among victims and their relatives called the sentence “a f--king joke”.

“They don’t take into account the impact on the victims,” she said.

One man called it “totally inadequate” and “lousy”.

He said it was frustrating that people of authority were told about Ryan’s offending, and yet he continued to work at various schools in the region.

A friend of Ryan’s attended the proceedings in his support, despite saying he felt conflicted about the matter.

He said he wondered how, religiously, one should show compassion in such cases.

Ryan, who appeared in court by video, has already spent seven days in custody.

He will report as a sex offender for the rest of his life.