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A former private school teacher, previously involved in inappropriate communications with a minor, will now face his sentence within the community rather than being incarcerated.
This incident unfolded when the teacher, identified as Gulson, engaged in a conversation with what he believed to be a young individual on the LGBTQI dating app, Grindr. Unbeknownst to him, he was actually interacting with a 14-year-old boy who, alongside another teenager, had created a fake account to expose potential predators.
During the trial, Gulson attempted to defend his actions, attributing the conversation to poor judgment while he was distracted by the task of grading papers. However, Judge Hugh Donnelly dismissed this explanation, describing it as “improbable, implausible, and inconsistent with the logical course of events.”
Judge Donnelly further highlighted that Gulson’s admission of feeling “super conflicted” during the exchange clearly indicated that the former teacher was aware of the inappropriateness of his behavior. This acknowledgment of wrongdoing ultimately played a significant role in the court’s decision.
He said Gulson telling the teenager he was “super conflicted” revealed the former educator knew what he was doing was wrong.
The teacher has acknowledged his correspondent was “young, super young”, the court was told.
“Once the conversation began, the defendant was very deliberate in terms of expression and keenness,” Donnelly said.
Gulson had a sexual interest in children, he determined when he found the former teacher guilty of procuring a child for unlawful sexual activity in January.
He had browsed for child abuse material and rape scenes, lodging 166 searches of pornography sites showing teenage boys during a three-month period in 2024, Judge Donnelly said.
He described Gulson’s texts to the 15-year-old as “extremely explicit”, mentioning kissing and licking, spotlighting a message which read “do you find it (sic) hot you’re the same age as my students?”
Gulson also said he would be happy to meet up, encouraging the teen to sneak out of their parents’ house so they could find a “quiet place” for sexual activity, the court was previously told.
But the teenager deleted the Grindr account before any rendezvous occurred and was not harmed.
Donnelly said Gulson’s conduct had a “real potential for harm”, but took the loss of his teaching career into account when imposing the sentence.
He took a “guarded view” of Gulson’s prospect of rehabilitation, pointing out he had “cast himself as the victim” because the child he was messaging was “a civilian with malicious intent”.
The former teacher has lodged an appeal against his conviction and sentence.
Support is available by calling 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service on 1800 211 028, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25).