Gippsland teacher charged with child sex offences
A teacher from a primary school in regional Victoria has been arrested and charged with a series of child sex offences against a child under 16.
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A primary school teacher has been pulled from his Gippsland classroom after he was arrested and charged with multiple child sex offences spanning three years.
The teacher was removed from the school last week.
The grade 1/2 teacher was charged with a series of sex offences against a child aged under 16, including sexual penetration, grooming for sexual conduct and nine counts of an indecent act.
The alleged offences are believed to have occurred at another school in regional Victoria between 2014 and 2016.
Detectives from the Morwell Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team (SOCIT) are continuing their inquiries.
The Herald Sun understands the alleged offending related to a child at a previous school where the teacher worked, not at the one where he was removed.
A Department of Education spokesman said the charges were “extremely serious and concerning”.
“When the school became aware of the allegations it immediately removed the staff member from the school,” he said.
The spokesman said with the matter before the courts, he couldn’t comment further but said the “safety of students is always our top priority”.
The teacher was suspended by the Victorian Institute of Teaching on an interim basis last Thursday.
However, the teaching watchdog also issued him with a notice of intention to suspend his registration on an ongoing basis.
The teacher will face Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court for a committal mention on January 9 next year.