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Herald Sun
2 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Ex Newborough primary teacher Peter Farmer jailed over child sex abuse
Don't miss out on the headlines from Bass Coast News. Followed categories will be added to My News. A pedophile primary school teacher who sexually assaulted five female students, often during class, will spend at least four years behind bars after pleading guilty to the vile abuse that 'ruined lives'. Peter Farmer, 66, was sentenced on Tuesday, more than 30 years after abusing 'fragile and innocent' young girls he taught at a school in Victoria's southeast. He was sentenced after pleading guilty to eight charges of indecent assault of a person under 16 and two charges of gross indecency with a person under 16. The offending took place at a Gippsland primary school where Farmer taught from 1982-1988. Farmer forced the girls to touch his penis and touched their vaginas while working as a teacher at Murray Road Primary School, now called Newborough Primary School. The court heard Farmer put his fingers inside one victim's pants every day for two terms, even when she was showing her work to the rest of the class. A victim impact statement read to the court revealed another victim felt so guilty and ashamed about being abused by Farmer that she was unable to speak about what happened, even when asked by her mother. The victim said her mother had come to her 'in a panic' after first hearing about Farmer's offending. 'She said 'he didn't do anything to you, did he?,' she wrote. 'I told her no. 'I didn't want to disappoint her or make her upset.' In a cruel twist, the victim revealed Farmer had taught the class songs including John Farnham's You're the Voice. 'It now makes me cringe,' she said of learning the lyrics. 'I didn't feel like I had a voice.' The victim said she had not spoken about the abuse until she was contacted by police after one of his former students, now aged in their 40s, reported Farmer. She had assumed action had been taken and felt 'deeply guilty' and 'physically sick' that Farmer was not held accountable for his actions until now. 'I still carry the weight of what that assumption may have meant for others.' Farmer's offending ended when someone working nearby saw him taking his hands out of a student's pants and reported him to the school He was banned from the school but returned to leave notes and gifts for students before he officially resigned. Farmer headed north after leaving Newborough Primary School and was arrested in Queensland in 2022 after his offending was reported to police by a former student. Judge Geoffrey Chettle said Farmer's offending caused 'significant and irreparable psychological damage' to his 'young, fragile, innocent' victims. He said the victims had suffered PTSD, severe depression, anxiety and insomnia and felt shame and fear. 'The damage you caused these children has ruined their lives,' Judge Chettle said. 'You enjoyed life in the Queensland sunshine while your victims endured years of distress.' The court heard Farmer was suffering from a pedophilic disorder at the time of his offending. However, Farmer's 'pedophilic interest had declined' with his age and he was now a 'low risk' of recidivism. Judge Chettle took into account Farmer's guilty plea and 'genuine remorse' when sentencing him to six and half years jail with a non parol period of four and half years, minus 103 days served in pre-sentence detention.
Herald Sun
6 days ago
- General
- Herald Sun
Thomas Howden in Bairnsdale court for drug driving in Glenaladale
Don't miss out on the headlines from Bass Coast News. Followed categories will be added to My News. A methed-up stock and station agent has been booted off the roads again after he was busted drug driving for the second time in three months. Thomas Fredrick Howden, 31, faced the Bairnsdale Magistrates' Court on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to failing an oral fluid test and driving while his licence was suspended. Howden was driving a Ute in Glenaladale when he was pulled over by police in December last year. After officers discovered he was driving without a licence, he was drug tested, which returned positive for methamphetamine. His car was impounded for 30 days. The court heard Howden had previously been caught drug driving. Howden told the court he had completed a behavioural change program as part of a community corrections order. He said he was working as a stock and station agent where he sold cows and sheep and was trying to rebuild his reputation. Magistrate Mia Stylianou asked what was going through his head at the time — to which Howden replied 'a lot of stupid things'. 'Around country roads — you've got to have your wits about you, you really do,' Ms Stylianou said. Get the latest news straight to your inbox. Subscribe to our email newsletters. 'Some of these roads are really tricky to navigate and if you're affected by drugs in any way — it's beyond my comprehension how anyone can get behind the wheel and thinking that they're going to drive to the best of their ability. 'There's a reason why these offences are offences.' Howden's licence was cancelled and disqualified for a year with a conviction recorded and was fined $1200. 'Hopefully there won't be a next time,' Ms Stylianou said.
Herald Sun
09-05-2025
- Herald Sun
William Douglas Luttrell in Korumburra court over crashing car in Mirboo North
Don't miss out on the headlines from Bass Coast News. Followed categories will be added to My News. A self-described 'idiot' who crashed his car into a giant novelty beer mug outside a south Gippsland brewery before fleeing the scene has lost his license for a year. William Douglas Luttrell, 21, pleaded guilty to driving at a dangerous speed, driving unregistered, and failing to report an accident to police at the Korumburra Magistrates Court on Thursday. Police prosecutor Senior Constable Tim Cavanagh said Luttrell was seen speeding along Ridgway Rd in Mirboo North in the early hours of November 14 last year. Luttrell, a former barber, lost control of his Ford Territory when he hit the brakes at the intersection of Ridgway Rd and Thorpdale Rd. He left a long set of skid marks, and only came to a halt when he crashed into a large, novelty promotional beer mug outside the popular Grand Ridge Brewery. The court heard he also hit steel bollards and a tree. Luttrell jumped from his car, rummaged around for his personal belongings, and fled the scene on foot. Hours later, Luttrell went to the Mirboo North police station and made full admissions to being the driver. 'I was going through town and I was going too fast,' he told police at the time. Luttrell said he was 'just being an idiot', his decision making had been off and he left the scene because he panicked. Get the latest news straight to your inbox. Subscribe to our email newsletters. Magistrate Tim Walsh said Luttrell was lucky he wasn't killed or seriously injured. Luttrell's licence was cancelled and disqualified for a year and was fined $800 without a conviction.
