Teacher Brent Sean McKee pleads guilty to molesting seven schoolboys

A mother of one of the seven boys molested by a music teacher is in shock after learning her son’s predator will be released from jail in mere months. Warning: Disturbing content

Brent Sean McKee was jailed for molesting multiple children in the Mackay region.

A mother sat quietly in court and watched as the teacher who molested her young son, as well as six other boys, was told he would only have to spend another three months in jail.

Her young son still has nightmares about the vile assault.

“I actually thought I was going to throw up,” the woman, who cannot legally be identified, said.

“It’s affected his entire life in that he struggles to trust teachers.”

Her shock and anger was mirrored by other victim’s family members in Mackay District Court who watched as Brent Sean McKee learned his fate.

McKee, then 28, had been working as a music teacher when he molested seven boys aged eight to 12 years old between January and December 2020 at Sarina.

The majority involved touching the boys outside their clothing on their buttocks but there was one instance of putting his hands inside the shorts of one of the boys.

The court heard McKee would position himself close to the boys and then rub them.

Crown Prosecutor Matthew Sutton said the offending was “really heinous acts upon schoolchildren” and he had “used his position as a schoolteacher”.

Brent Sean McKee who is charged with molesting multiple children in the Mackay region has asked for his bail to be revoked. He was taken into custody to begin his jail term.

When police searched his home officers found vile images of videos of young boys engaged in penetrative and non-penetrative sex acts with men.

Mr Sutton said there was clear evidence of a “sexual attraction to pre-pubescent” boys and pushed for four to five years jail as a penalty.

The mother said listening to the details being read out “made everything very real”.

“I struggled … being that my son was one of them, but for all the other victims as well,” she said.

“I wonder how they cope.”

McKee, now 30, pleaded guilty to 15 counts of indecent treatment of children and one count of possessing child exploitation material.

Barrister Scott McLennan said it was “accepted that offending by a teacher towards his students attracts a strong emotional response from the community”.

“The offences here are acts of non-penetrative touching,” Mr McLennan said.

“There’s no direct skin on skin contact on the genitals, there’s no force and there’s no threats.”

Mr McLennan added his client had suffered a “horrendous horrendous experience” since he went into custody including multiple physical assaults.

The court heard McKee had voluntarily engaged in psychiatric and psychological help and had been treated for about 12 months.

He was jailed for two years and 10 months.

Mr McLennan said his client had also applied to the court to have his bail revoked and go into custody where he had been on remand for about six months.

Judge Michael Burnett accepted McKee had been deemed as having good prospects of rehabilitation, thereby diminishing the risk of further offending.

He also accepted Mr McLennan’s push for a further recognition, given McKee’s “extra curial punishment” was his difficult time in custody.

McKee was jailed for two years and 10 months to be released on two years’ probation after serving nine months in total.

He will walk free in August and the remaining jail term will hang over his head for four years.

As this was handed down multiple people in the gallery scoffed and angrily told McKee, “remember my face” and “see you soon”.

The woman said she was in disbelief.

“I was thinking, no I’ve heard this wrong,” she said.

“I was just disgusted to think that someone can do things to children … that three months, I was just gutted.

“I don’t want to tell my son because this has been two years (and) we felt that this was time to put it behind us.”

Originally published as Teacher Brent Sean McKee pleads guilty to molesting seven schoolboys