A Queensland state school teacher facing more than 200 child exploitation charges has been denied bail.
Key points:
- The 35-year-old Cairns man was arrested last week but further investigations have led to more allegations
- The man was refused bail because of concerns he would offend if released, or face harm in the community
- He is expected to face court again in February next year
The 35-year-old Cairns man was arrested earlier this month and charged with three counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 and two counts of possessing child exploitation material.
He was granted bail in Cairns Magistrates Court on November 11, but on Monday morning the court heard further investigations had led authorities to suspect more alleged offences had been committed against children over a period of almost two years.
On Saturday, detectives allegedly found additional child exploitation material on the man's electronic devices and he was charged with 200 more offences.
The teacher and the school cannot be named for legal reasons.
The charges include 26 counts of taking a child for an immoral purpose, 61 counts of involving a child in making child exploitation material and 64 counts of indecent treatment.
The man faced Cairns Magistrates Court by video link on Monday morning and applied for bail.
Prosecutors opposed his application for release, arguing there was an unacceptable risk he would commit further offences and that he could self-harm or face retribution in the community.
The court heard the teacher had no criminal history.
He was represented by a duty solicitor who told the court the accused was "not at risk of feeling the jurisdiction" and that there had not been any allegations he had committed offences since being released on bail last week.
Alleged acts 'abhorrent'
Magistrate Sandra Pearson said the allegations involved "behaviour that can only be described as abhorrent" and that the man would face "significant" jail time if he was found guilty.
She said her decision to refuse bail was primary based "on the extent of the behaviour that's alleged".
"Knowing what he's facing, it may well be there is significant impact on his mental health, and I also suspect there may be a lot of anger in the community and he could well face retribution," Magistrate Pearson said.
The court did not hear specifics about the alleged offences and Magistrate Pearson asked the prosecution not to address open court with details that could cause distress.
An affidavit was tendered to the court addressing the likelihood the man would commit further offences.
There was audible relief in the gallery of the court when Magistrate Pearson refused bail.
After the hearing Detecting Acting Inspector Jason Chetham told the media police had identified 24 complainants, all of whom were female students.
"We're working very closely with the families and have offered referrals to professional counselling services because it's a great strain on them at this point in time," Inspector Chetham said outside court.
Inspector Chetham said the man was alleged to have acted alone and that the allegations were "not part of any ring or conspiracy".
In a statement after the man was arrested last week, Education Queensland said it was "aware of alleged misconduct made against a staff member".
"There is no higher priority for the department than the safety and wellbeing of students," it said.
"Allegations of this nature are dealt with as a matter of urgency."
The case returns to court on February 9, 2024.
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2023-11-20 03:02:56Z
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