Troy Ollis: Former MacKillop College teacher jailed for sexually abusing student
An English teacher who was fired after it was revealed that he sexually abused a student was imprisoned.
Former MacKillop College teacher Troy James Ollis appeared in court in Victoria County Court on Tuesday afternoon online from prison, where he has spent the last 67 days.
The court was told the 34-year-old’s offending came to the attention of authorities after he was stopped at Melbourne Airport as he returned from a family trip to Tanzania with his wife and young son in January last year.
“My life is over now, isn’t it?” He was interrogated after investigators found dozens of files of child abuse material hidden on his iPhone.
Ollis pleaded guilty last year to nine counts of sexual intercourse with a child under his supervision, one count of possessing child abuse material and one count of producing child abuse material.
Judge Paul Higham, who handed down the sentence, said Ollis had breached his responsibility as a teacher.
“The role of a teacher is extremely influential…with that authority comes the responsibility to act in the best interests of your students and to behave responsibly,” he said.
“Boundaries were crossed and you betrayed the trust placed in you by pursuing your own desires.”
The court was told Ollis and the teenage girl began a “sexual relationship” after they began communicating outside of class.
Judge Higham said their conversations quickly turned into sexual fantasies about sex and Ollis got the boy a phone call to avoid his parents’ strict parental control settings.
Over three and a half months, Ollis attacked the girl at her home, hotels and in her car.
Of the 140 photographs and videos of child abuse material found on Ollis’ phone, 71 were not of the victim and contained images of “the most depraved nature”.
Judge Higham said the former teacher, who was sacked and banned from teaching after the crime was discovered, was active in various online chat groups set up for people “clearly interested in girls under 18”.
He noted that Ollis once shared an image and message with others, which reduced the victim to “a bragged-about conquest.”
Judge Higham said although the girl did not see herself as a victim, this could change as she got older and her parents had “permanent traumatic consequences” for their family.
The judge stated that the law prohibits sexual intimacy between teachers and students in order to protect young people, and stated that there is a “presumption of harm”.
He told the court Ollis was remorseful and accepted he had “worked hard” to address his disruptive behavior since his arrest.
A psychiatrist was of the opinion in a report prepared before sentencing that the “socially inadequate” man was disturbed by a dysfunctional attempt to boost his self-esteem.
But Judge Higham questioned this and found Ollis’s motivation for the crime was sexual gratification “irrespective of the potential harmful or adverse effects” on his victim.
Ollis was sentenced to six years and 11 months in prison. He will be eligible for parole in early 2030 at the earliest. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for life.
mental health support
