Ballarat High School music teacher Damien Woods charged with 34 child sex offences

A senior Ballarat music teacher has been charged with multiple child sex offences spanning four years.

A senior Ballarat High School music teacher Damien Woods, 47, has been charged with multiple child sex offences.

Ballarat High music teacher Damien Woods has been charged with 34 child sex offences spanning four years.

Among dozens of charges faced by the suspended teacher include two counts of possessing child abuse material and two counts of involving a child in producing that material.

The Alfredton man, 48, also faces four counts of sexual penetration of a child, multiple counts of sexual touching of a 17-year-old child who was under his care, supervision or authority, sexual activity in front of a child and encouraging a child into sexual activity.

Charge sheets released by the magistrates’ court reveal the alleged offending spanned from January 1, 2019 to December 26, 2022.

That includes more than two years from 2019 to 2021 where the teacher was accused of grooming the child by communicating with the intention of facilitating a sexual offence.

Mr Woods appeared before the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court this week via video link, where he was ordered to attend future court dates in person to answer his bail.

His defence lawyer Steven Pica confirmed a plea offer had been made on behalf of his client.

Prosecutors had since returned a counter offer.

Mr Pica sought an adjournment to allow “further time for negotiations”.

Mr Woods will return to court on August 24.

The former director of music, who had worked at Ballarat High for 25 years, was suspended from his job earlier this year as the allegations came to light.