Queensland teacher handed indefinite ban for kissing student and sending schoolgirl 2700 emails
A teacher in Queensland has been suspended indefinitely for kissing, groping and sending thousands of inappropriate emails to students.
The teacher’s inappropriate behavior towards three girls over a seven-year period was told to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT).
The court was told the teacher told a pupil that he was “very attractive”, that he “didn’t realize how attractive you were” and that he had “heard some boys in Year 10 say they wanted to fuck you”.
The student claimed the teacher repeatedly touched her buttocks, hugged her and gave her his personal cell phone number to send a text message.
He allegedly told another student that there was nothing to worry about losing his virginity because he knew he would be good at it.
“You’re good at everything else, so you’ll be good at this too,” he told her.
QCAT was told he repeatedly hugged and kissed another vulnerable student and told her she was beautiful.
Using school email accounts, he sent her more than 2,700 emails over two years, calling her “sweetheart” and commenting on her appearance: “I like the outfit, maybe something different… or less!”
She also emailed nude photos of herself.
The student said that the teacher repeatedly put his hands under her shirt or underwear and gave her gifts such as perfume and jewelry.
Authorities also discovered inappropriate photos of female students taken at school swimming carnivals on the department’s file server.
During the investigation, the teacher said he established a “digital relationship” with one of the students and exchanged photos after graduation.
The court ruled that “Whether the images were shared while Student C was a student or later does not reduce the inappropriateness of the behavior.”
“(The teacher) was not a young, immature or inexperienced teacher when these inappropriate behaviors occurred with 14-year-old students.
“There was a significant difference in age and life experience between the teacher and each of the three students, and thus a significant power imbalance.
“We think (the teacher) should be prohibited from re-applying for registration or permission to teach indefinitely.”
