Warrnambool crime: Colac’s Gerard Couch sentenced for child abuse

A former “popular” Warrnambool primary school teacher and Christian Brother has avoided jail after abusing a student almost five decades ago.

A former “popular” Warrnambool primary school teacher has avoided jail for sexually abusing a student almost five decades ago.

Gerard Couch, 71, was sentenced to a suspended 15-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to a rolled up charge of indecent assault on a male in Geelong County Court on Monday.

The court heard Couch, who now lives in Colac, preyed on his victim when he was the student’s teacher almost five decades ago.

After his sister had become pregnant, the victim became interested in the topic and as a result Couch engaged in “private and special conversations” with the then grade four student.

On a second occasion, Couch showed his victim an educational book about pregnancy and sexuality which contained diagrams of naked males and females.

This took place in a classroom with no one else present.

Couch was sitting on a chair and invited his victim to sit on his knee when he then removed the child’s shorts and told him he was comparing the diagrams.

After the child moved off his lap, Couch removed the child’s shorts and rubbed his genitals for several minutes.

He asked his victim if he wanted to see an adult’s penis but his victim said no, before he sent the child away and reminded him the conversations were private.

Prosecutors told the court the victim confronted his attacker almost three decades later when he recognised him working as a security guard in Melbourne.

Couch confirmed he had abused him as a child and said he was sorry.

A formal statement was eventually made to police.

“The abuse by Couch of the 10-year-old me has always followed me, however more prominently in the last two decades,” the man said in a victim impact statement read to the court.

Defence lawyer Caitlin Dwyer said her client was a former Christian Brother who had been attached to the Warrnambool school.

In referencing a psychologist’s report tendered to the court she said her client was “very psycho sexually immature” at the time of the offending.

“He is being sentenced as a very different man,” she said.

Judge Trevor Wraight said Couch’s offending represented a “serious breach of trust”.

Judge Wraight said the suspended sentence would last for a period of two years.

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