‘Such a cute boy’: teacher guilty of child procurement
A former school teacher’s excuses for graphic internet searches and a sexually charged chat with a teenager have been criticized as entirely unconvincing as he was found guilty of child sex offences.
William Roberto Gulson taught at Sydney’s elite Knox Grammar School and tutored a 15-year-old girl before texting her while posing as a boy in August 2024.
The girl and another teenager operated a fake profile on LGBTQI dating app Grindr aimed at catching pedophiles, Sydney Downing Center Local Court was told.
“Do you find it attractive that you are as old as some of my students?” the teacher asked after the teenager said he was 15 and he was 9 years old.
However, Gulson testified that he never believed the user was a child and suggested that the search for “gay child porn” may have been auto-populated because he had no memory of typing it.
Judge Hugh Donnelly found the former educator guilty of procuring a child under 16 for unlawful sexual activity, saying those denials were “wholly unconvincing”.
“His answers bore the hallmark of recent breakthroughs,” Mr. Donnelly said Tuesday.
The judge found that the former teacher had a sexual interest in children.
He said this was evident in his online searches, which included “movie scene where young boy gets raped” and “movies about priests molesting boys.”
After the teen said he was 15, Gulson replied, “wow, you’re so young” and said he was conflicted.
After receiving the photo sent by the young man, the teacher praised him, saying, “What a sweet boy.”
Mr Donnelly did not use the word adult once during the lengthy conversation, which he said disproved suggestions that Gulson believed he was speaking to an adult.
Instead, Gulson allegedly encouraged the boy to sneak out of his parents’ house and thus find a “quiet place” to meet and engage in sexual activity, the court heard.
Gulson also described in graphic detail the sexual activity he wanted to engage in with the teenager.
“Collectively, this is strong evidence,” Mr. Donnelly said.
Facing a three-day trial in September, Gulson stood unmoved as the guilty verdict was handed down.
The crime carries a maximum penalty of 12 years behind bars.
His bail was continued ahead of his sentencing in March.
Gülson did not speak to journalists as he left the courthouse with his brother, who was with him during the hearing.
After getting special permission, the young man’s family called the courtroom to find out the result.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Resolution Support Service 1800 211 028
Lifeline 13 11 14
Child Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
