Abuse teacher jailed

THE “heinous” acts of a sex-offending former Tasmanian teacher who groomed a vulnerable student and got her pregnant have been punished after more than 30 years.

The 65-year-old, outed after the Mercury published explosive allegations from one of his former colleagues last year, at last came face to face with justice on Thursday in the Supreme Court of Tasmania, and jailed for four years.

The man, who cannot be named for the sake of protecting his victim’s identity and was still employed by the Education

Department when the allegations arose, began grooming the teenager in the 1980s, before subjecting her to repeated unprotected intercourse the following year.

The victim, now in her 40s, previously told the court about her trauma in giving up her child for adoption as a minor.

The sex offender was blasted by Justice Stephen Estcourt for having ruined the girl’s life through his “odious acts”, despite attempts from defence lawyer Evan Hughes to justify the conduct, amid claims his client had suffered enough due to media attention.

“This case first came to light in the most undesirable way possible. It was published in the (Mercury) newspaper, it became the subject of political debate in parliament,” Mr Hughes said.

“The accused has been the subject of reporting to sell newspapers.”

The lawyer also made allegations the man had been “harangued” by journalists, which had “caused a great deal of distress not only to the accused but to me”.

But Justice Estcourt said the offending had “devastating” effects, describing the unprotected nature of the intercourse as “heinous”. He also wasn’t swayed by Mr Hughes’ suggestions the man had legitimate affection and love for the girl, as evidenced by gift-giving and a show of financial support through the pregnancy and birth.

“I take that as a dubious proposition,” Justice Estcourt said.

In the woman’s statement to the court, relayed by Justice Estcourt, she said while the trauma of what happened would never leave her, she could finally move on now the “abuse has finally been acknowledged”.

She said the police interview, after 30 years, was “harrowing” and “the pain of it all came flooding back to the surface”.

“I’m so tired of feeling this way … remembering how the defendant gained my trust … thinking about how naive and innocent I was,” she said.

“Although I wear my mask well, I’m a wreck. My colleagues and friends don’t know I’m the victim in the paper.

“I gave birth to a child that I was never given the opportunity to know.”

The man, who pleaded guilty to persistent sexual abuse of a child or young person, must serve two years’ jail before he is eligible for parole.