A gym teacher who filmed himself having sex with a 14-year-old girl in her school uniform and was only caught when his girlfriend discovered sick messages on his phone, has been sentenced to almost seven years in prison.
Bryan Russell-Keely, 36, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to more than 10 charges, including sexually penetrating a child under 16, producing and possessing child abuse material and sexually abusing a child, in Bendigo County Court.
He was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison, but will be eligible for parole after four years.
The victim was a student at a high school in Bendigo, about 150 kilometres northwest of Melbourne.
The couple began messaging in May 2023, when Russell-Keely was 34 — 20 years her senior.
He drove the child to remote places in the bush to have sex, sometimes filming the acts on his phone.
At one point, she was still wearing her uniform when he picked her up.
Bryan Russell-Keely (pictured), 36, pleaded guilty to more than 10 charges including sexually penetrating a child under 16, producing and possessing child abuse material and sexually abusing a child at the Bendigo County Court on Wednesday
He was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison, but will be eligible for parole after four years.
Russell-Keely warned his victim of the consequences it would have for him if she told anyone.
“You asked for her silence and her loyalty,” Judge Fiona Todd told him in her sentencing remarks, the court reported. The age.
“You give a child the responsibility for your well-being.”
His depraved behavior came to light when his girlfriend discovered messages between him and the student in August 2023 and reported them to the police.
The gym teacher was arrested at school shortly afterwards, where he admitted to being “fucked.”
Despite being released on bail on condition that he not contact the victim again, Russell-Keely continued to harass her with messages telling her she was a “beautiful angel” and “worth fighting for”.
“She was 14 and 15 years old,” the judge reminded him.
‘After your offence was discovered and you were released on bail, you continued to approach her in an attempt to continue what you had convinced yourself would be an erotic and loving relationship.
Despite being granted bail on condition that he not contact the victim again, Russell-Keely (pictured) continued to harass her with messages telling her she was a ‘beautiful angel’ and ‘worth fighting for’
“There was no relationship possible between you, her teacher 20 years her senior, and a child.”
The girl said in a victim statement that the relationship had “distorted her understanding of love and intimacy”, leaving her with intense feelings of shame and sadness.
Judge Todd called it a “confidence-eroding event.”
“These are just some of the toxic consequences for your victim and her family,” she added.
Russell-Keely will be registered as a sex offender for life and will be banned from working as a teacher.