A former teacher of Colac Secondary School kissed an underage student after picking her up and buying her ice cream.
Peter Charles Coceani, 44, pleaded guilty in Geelong Magistrates Court on Wednesday to engaging in an indecent act with a child aged between 16 and 17.
Coceani, who was suspended by the Victorian Institute of Teaching in 2021, taught in schools for 20 years.
Police prosecutor Ashleigh Morris told the court Coceani started flirting with the victim and joking with when she was in her final year of school at Colac Secondary College in 2010.
During an end of year celebratory dinner, Coceani sat next to the victim and started rubbing her legs. At the end of the night they exchanged numbers and began sexting.
In October 29 that year, Coceani picked the teenager up from a friend’s house and drove her to Apollo Bay.
Ms Morris said the pair both got ice cream and walked along the beach together before Coceani kissed her on her mouth.
The following day Coceani sent a message to the victim which said: “Thank you for coming to the beach, we did have good chats. We are far too dangerous together especially while you are a student at CSC.”
On February 28 the following year, Coceani sent a message to the victim who was 18 at the time and said “you have massive boobs for a girl your size haha”, in reference to a picture which was taken when she was 17.
In 2012 Coceani sent a message to the victim which said “send me a photo for old times sake”, to which the complainant responded with: “Oh god, you still have them?”
Coceani replied: “I do, they are sorted on my folder on my laptop, they are well hidden”.
In 2016, the victim received a message from Coceani from an unknown number where he sent a naked selfie where he was wearing a towel.
The victim said she never wanted to hear from him again and communications between the two stopped.
On August 2020, the victim disclosed Coceani’s actions to police and provided them with chat logs.
Coceani’s lawyer said her client had changed dramatically since the offending and had already been significantly punished.
The court was told Coceani was still teaching until 2020, and that teachers within school knew about the incident as early as 2010.
Magistrate Simon Guthrie convicted Coceani, ordered he pay a $5000 fine and placed him on the sex offender register for eight years.