A Victorian physical education teacher has been jailed for having sex with a student 20 years his junior.
A judge found it “disturbing” that Bryan Russell-Keely was so infatuated with the teenager that even his arrest didn’t stop him contacting her.
Disgraced PE teacher Bryan Russell-Keely met his 14-year-old victim while teaching her.
Russell-Keely appeared at the County Court in Bendigo via videolink for sentencing after pleading guilty to more than 10 charges, including sexually penetrating a child under 16, producing and possessing child abuse material and sexual assault of a child.
The 36-year-old was jailed on Thursday for six years and eight months but will be eligible for parole after four years.
Russell-Keely was 34 when he taught the girl at a Bendigo secondary school, and the pair connected on social media in May 2023.
Shortly after this, he started picking her up and taking her to bushland locations for sex. On one occasion, she skipped school and he collected her while she was still in her uniform. He also filmed some of the sex acts on his mobile phone.
The teacher even warned the girl about the consequences for him if they were caught.
“You asked her for her silence and her loyalty … You put a child in a position of being responsible for your welfare,” Judge Fiona Todd said in her sentencing remarks.
The offending continued for months until Russell-Keely’s girlfriend reported him to police after uncovering messages between him and the student in August 2023.
He was arrested at the school shortly afterwards and when police questioned the teacher about the evidence against him, Russell-Keely replied he was “f---ed”.
He was released on bail conditions and an intervention order that both barred him from contacting the victim, but he ignored it.
Bryan Russell-Keely has been jailed for six years and eight months.
“She was 14 and 15 years old. After your offending was detected, and you were bailed, you persistently contacted her in an attempt to carry on in what you had deluded yourself into believing was an erotic and affectionate relationship,” the judge said.
“No such relationship was possible between you, her teacher senior to her by 20 years, and a child.”
Todd said it was disturbing that Russell-Keely allowed himself “to become infatuated” to the degree that being arrested, spending a night in custody and being subject to a court order did not stop his behaviour.
He sent the victim a barrage of messages while on bail, telling her “she was worth fighting for”, that he loved her and that she was his “beautiful angel”.
She also sent him sexually explicit pictures and videos, which he saved on a device that used the victim’s birthday as a passcode.
The messages were confusing for the girl, who would later say in a victim impact statement that it “distorted her understanding of love and intimacy”, and she felt intense feelings of shame and sadness.
The teen’s mother said what the teacher did was “like an explosion” and it shattered their trust.
“These are just some of the poisonous consequences for your victim and her family,” the judge said.
The court was told the disgraced teacher had no prior criminal history, had no substance abuse issues and came from a strong family background. However, Todd noted he had “low self-esteem and a lack of maturity”, which were not excuses, but provided context to the crime.
Russell-Keely has already served 309 days in prison and will be a registered sex offender for life.
Get the day’s breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter here.