Australian teacher and boyfriend plead guilty to child sex offences

Benjamin Heels, formerly a music teacher at Fountain Gate Secondary College, pleaded guilty to a raft of child abuse charges in the Victorian County Court on Thursday. Photo / Facebook

Warning: Contains details of sexual assault

A Melbourne music teacher and his boyfriend have admitted more than 60 child sex offences between them, including performing sexual acts in front of minors, and sexual assault.

The couple, Benjamin John Heels and Tristan Dayle Cullinan-Smayle, both 33, pleaded guilty to the raft of charges before Judge Helen Symes in the County Court of Victoria on Thursday.

Heels, an ex-music teacher at Fountain Gate Secondary College in Narre Warren in Melbourne's populous southeast, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual conduct with a child under the age of 16 in the suburb of Pakenham from January to May last year.

He also notified the court of his intention to plead guilty to more charges of sexually assaulting a minor, sexual activity in the presence of a child, using a carriage service to transmit child sex abuse material and possessing child sex abuse material.

Cullinan-Smayle pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to encourage a child under the age of 16 to engage in sexual activity with him in Berwick in 2017.

He also said he intended to plead guilty to charges of transmitting child pornography, possessing child abuse material, and using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material.

Both Heels and Cullinan-Smayle appeared in court via video link, sitting next to one another, from Hopkins Correctional Centre in Ararat.

In a Facebook post from August 2019, Heels celebrates the nine-year anniversary of his relationship with Cullinan-Smayle.

"It feels just like yesterday we went on our first date to the movies," writes Heels, who has been photographed dressed up as a clown and in Harry Potter pyjamas.

Heels and Tristan Cullinan-Smayle, pictured together, have pleaded guilty to a combined 60 child sexual abuse charges in Melbourne from 2017-2021. Photo / Facebook

"So much has happened with SO much more to come.

"Through thick and thin, good and bad, ups and downs. There is no one else I want to spend my time with!"

The matter was adjourned to February next year for further pleas and sentencing, with the court waiting on a report assessing the pair's risk to the community.

SEXUAL HARM

Where to get help:

If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7:
• Call 0800 044 334
• Text 4334
• Email support@safetotalk.nz
• For more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nz
Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.

If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it's not your fault.