ULTIMATE BETRAYAL

Teacher jailed for molesting 11 kids during reign of abuse

PASTOR, teacher, predator.

A Far Northern father of nine groomed and molested 11 students between 2008 and 2016 including his own daughter and nieces, Cairns District Court heard yesterday.

Much of the abuse occurred within the classroom or during private lessons. Faced with his sexual advances, his 14-year-old adopted daughter talked him out of raping her, pleading with him that, “I am just a little girl”.

The defendant, now 59, pleaded guilty to 23 charges including six counts of maintaining an unlawful relationship with a child and 17 counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16.

At sentencing he faced a maximum penalty of life in prison.

The accused molested the girls over periods ranging from four months to four years, exploiting his position of trust as a church deacon, relative and educator.

In one case he molested a girl every school day since Grade One.

The court heard he would prey on his victims during private lessons and in the classroom.

“For the most part the offending occurred at the school with the vulnerable child alone while reading,” Judge Dean Morzone said.

“The offending included conduct in the classroom, concealed when others were around, when a teacher would come and go ... or in the safety of their own homes.”

The defendant would bribe the girls – offering lollies and money for sexual favours.

On several occasions he showed the children – no older than 12 years – pornography before touching their privates.

“She would tell you to stop but you just laughed,” Judge Morzone said.

He described the man’s offending against his adopted daughter as the most serious of the 23 charges, as she lived with the defendant’s family.

It was while at home he would squeeze her genitalia and pay her $5 at a time.

In written statements to the court, the complainants said their school experience was ruined by his betrayals; one had turned to drugs, others skipped classes to avoid being molested.

“They were vulnerable as students or relatives or both,” Judge Morzone said.

Judge Morzone jailed the man to nine years but said he would be eligible for parole after serving one third of the term. “(The sentence was) just in all the circumstances,” he said.

The Department of Education has been asked for comment.