Bendigo teacher Bryan Russell-Keely sentenced at County Court for having sex with child

A Bendigo PE teacher who repeatedly drove his teenage victim to bushland and filmed his vile sexual acts on the minor also sent her grubby pics of himself.

Bryan Russell Keely has faced court for the sexual penetration of a child.

A Victorian PE teacher who repeatedly had sex with a teenage girl caused his victim “intense feelings of shame” and ruined her relationship with her mother, a court has heard.

Bendigo man Bryan Russell-Keely, 36, faced the County Court on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to a suite of sexual offences involving a child under 16.

Between May and August 2023, Russell-Keely repeatedly picked the victim up in his car and had sex with her, mainly in bushland.

The acts involved vaginal, digital, and oral penetration of the complainant, and on some occasions, Russell-Keely filmed the intercourse.

In September he added the victim on Snapchat and was in contact with her over about a month via messages which included statements of his love for the complainant, expressions of interest in continuing their relationship, as well as, on one occasion, explicit photos of himself.

The victim sent 25 explicit images and videos of herself to Russell-Keely, who saved them on an iPad whose passcode turned out to be the complainant’s birthday.

In the same month, the pair met in person and there was “intimate kissing”.

Russell-Keely faced court on July 31, 2024.

On Wednesday, Russell-Keely pleaded guilty to four counts of sexually penetrating a child under 16, three of producing child abuse material, one of possessing child abuse material, and one of sexually assaulting a child.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said she had been feeling “intense feelings of shame and sadness” and often had flashbacks about the offending.

“The impact has been very overwhelming,” she said.

“The incident has created a lot of barriers between me and those I care about.”

The victim said her experience had “distorted her understanding of love and intimacy”.

The complainant’s mother said she no longer trusted anyone, and that her relationship with her daughter had been affected.

“She thinks I don’t love her,” she said.

“But I do.”

She said she has had to deal with “nosy” people questioning her about the incidents.

“I worry about my daughter’s future,” she said.

“I worry about her future a lot.”

She asked about Russell-Keely: “Didn’t he think?”

Judge Fiona Todd said the “essential tension” of sentencing was the need for teachers to “get it” that they “don’t do this” and Russell-Keely’s “probably quite good prospects” of not reoffending.

“Parents need to know when they’re dropping their kids off ... that they are safe,” she said.

“Children need to be safe.”

Russell-Keely has served 302 days in custody and will be sentenced on August 7.