Music teacher sentenced for grooming, sexually abusing female student during Covid pandemic

A trusted music teacher was secretly grooming a girl during online Covid lessons and giving her gifts before abusing her – now he’s been punished.

A married schoolteacher and father has been jailed after grooming and then sexually abusing one of his female students after she confided in him about her mental health issues.

The man, who cannot be named to avoid identifying his victim, began grooming the then-16-year-old girl during the Covid pandemic when lessons were taught on Microsoft Teams, the court heard.

During sentencing earlier this week, Judge Michelle Sutcliffe noted the man – who pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a child a day before his trial was set to start – was like a “father-figure” to the “particularly vulnerable” teen girl.

“You discussed with the victim your respective first experiences of kissing and discussed sex, including occasions you had engaged in sexual intercourse,” Judge Sutcliffe said.

“You cultivated intimacy by sharing personal information with the victim.

“The victim was under 18, a school student and was suffering from serious mental health problems that you knew about.

“It is deplorable that you, an experienced teacher, justified your actions with the flawed belief that a vulnerable youth was your equal.”

The court heard the grooming began in 2020 and continued for six months, moving to Snapchat at the man’s prompting, where “the conversations became more personal”.

“Your conduct in moving the conversation to Snapchat and deleting your prior conversations on the Teams platform was calculated,” Judge Sutcliffe said.

“Deleting the conversations on Teams had the consequence that they were not able to be recovered.

The grooming then turned into sexual abuse, with the man in a position of authority as her teacher.

After the victim graduated, the court heard he continued to see her until October 2022.

Throughout the period from 2020 to 2022, Judge Sutcliffe noted the man had gifted the victim earrings, a jumper and a massager – while also asking for nude pictures and videos on Snapchat.

“At the time of the offending, she thought your wrongdoing was her secret to carry which if discovered, would lead to her being in trouble and compromise her schooling. This was not her burden to carry,” she said.

“She has powerfully articulated the grief she now experiences for her lost girlhood and innocence, her fear of being identified by other students as the victim of your offending and the anxiety and pressure she experiences socially.”

Judge Sutcliffe sentenced the former teacher – who the court heard is no longer teaching – to four years, three months and ten days imprisonment with a non-parole period of two years and four months.

Originally published as Music teacher sentenced for grooming, sexually abusing female student during Covid pandemic