Kew music teacher Theodore Conos jailed for sexual penetration of a child under 16
The song is over for a sex fiend Kew music teacher who plied one of his schoolgirl victims with magic mushrooms and cannabis.
Inner East
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A predatory Kew music teacher who violated three underage schoolgirls after grooming his victims for vile sexual acts has been jailed.
Theodore Conos, 28, was sentenced in the County Court on Friday to a minimum four years and six months’ jail after pleading guilty to 11 charges including sexual penetration of a child under 16.
Conos had sex with three 15-year-old girls between December 2017 and September 2019.
The depraved fiend also attempted to groom an undercover cop posing as a 14-year-old girl.
Conos, using the screen name ‘SaxyTed’, was 25 when he hunted his first victim in a ‘Melbourne Teens Only’ chat room via social media app Kik.
He then chatted with victim on Snapchat before meeting her in Fitzroy where he convinced her to have sex in his car.
Conos later sent the victim naked photos and videos of himself performing sex acts.
The pair had sex on another two occasions, the court heard.
Conos ignored her messages so she lied and told him she was pregnant, leading to him giving her $500 for an abortion and telling her to leave his name “out of it”.
Conos later gave his victim $300 if she would keep his offending quiet, the court heard.
Conos found his second victim on application Yubo after telling the victim he was 18.
The court heard he pressured her into sending an explicit photo of herself then met her at a Geelong park in December 2018.
The court was told the victim was resistant so Conos coerced her into having sex in his car.
Conos took her to play mini golf where he pushed the victim to her knees behind some bushes and forced her to perform oral sex.
The sicko also held the victim’s head when she tried to pull away.
Conos later contacted an undercover cop posing as a 14-year-old on WhatsApp, telling her he wanted to meet and kiss her.
The court heard Conos ceased contact with his target for several months, explaining his family and friends had attempted to stop him being interested in young girls.
However, Conos resumed his lewd conduct sending the undercover cop explicit messages, photos and videos of himself.
Conos found his third victim at a Kew bus stop in February 2019.
He repeatedly passed his victim before asking her for contact details.
Conos created a new Instagram account to groom the girl before admitting he was 26 and inviting the victim to his family home.
The court heard she felt pressured to perform a sex act on him.
Conos then sent her sexual videos and photos of himself while he was away on holiday, prompting her to send an explicit photo back.
The pair then met up repeatedly to have sex in his car when he would sometimes give her cannabis and magic mushrooms.
Conos briefly ended the relationship after speaking to her about seeing a psychologist for his attraction to younger girls.
The victim and her mother drove to Conos’ Kew home where an envelope which contained an USB with the explicit photos and messages was handed to Conos’ father.
The victim also requested Conos pay money for counselling.
Conos’ goose was cooked after the victim’s angry brother went to Conos’ father’s Kew practice and abused employees.
Conos’ father Dr Michael Conos supported his son in court.
Police discovered emails containing photos of “reflections” Conos had handwritten and signed after his arrest in October 2019.
“I used (the girls), I assaulted them, I raped them and I committed sexual violence against them,” Conos wrote.
“I am guilty of building an emotional connection with a child to gain their trust for the purpose of sexual abuse.
“I gained their trust by giving them affection, using my professional position as power over them, and by sending pictures … By doing these things I was able to use my power over the child to make them do what I wanted.”
The saxophonist was doing his education degree through the Australian Catholic University and Melbourne University during his crimes.
Conos also worked as a music instructor at various schools, including Heidelberg’s Our Lady of Mercy, and privately tutoring children and teenagers in music.
The defence submitted Conos had lost his career path and had been “highly embarrassed”.
Conos, who appeared via videolink from Hopkins, was jailed for a maximum seven years.
The fiend was brought to justice due to a tireless investigation from Victoria Police and the Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team.
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