Teacher pleads guilty to threesomes with students

MELBOURNE - A Melbourne high school teacher who engaged in threesomes with a pair of teenage students filmed himself performing sex acts with the girls, a court was told today.

Peter Donald Carne, 45, of Hennessey Way, Dandenong, pleaded guilty to 10 charges including committing an indecent act with a 16-year-old, three counts of sexual penetration with a 16-year-old, three counts of sexual penetration with a child under 16 years, committing an indecent act in the presence of a child under 16 and transmitting and possessing child pornography.

The English and drama teacher started a relationship with a 16-year-old student after he began counselling her over her behaviour in 2002, the Victorian County Court was told at a pre-sentence hearing today.

The father of three told the girl "he had personal feelings for her" on one occasion and later told her he was interested in having a threesome and suggested another student at the school, Crown Prosecutor Gavin Silbert, SC, told the court.

The court was told the trio met several times over six months and engaged in various sexual acts including intercourse.

Carne filmed their encounters on webcam and on one occasion transmitted it to another person, the court was told.

He also took digital photos of the girls in sexual poses and gave them copies so they could show their friends, Mr Silbert said.

The court was told he gave one of the girls a vibrator as a Christmas present, gave her money to top up her mobile phone account and also bought her cigarettes.

She ended the relationship after she was "sick of the secrecy".

The other girl did the same after Carne started talking about wanting to drug his girlfriend's 16-year-old daughter so he could have sex with her, the court was told.

Carne was arrested in July 2003 when the school principal contacted police after hearing about the relationship from teachers and students.

Defence counsel Steve Sherrifs, QC, said Carne did not have a criminal record and committed the offences after his marriage of 20 years broke down and he was suffering from depression.

He said Carne's encounters with the two girls were consensual and there was no evidence that his conduct was "predatory".

Mr Sherrifs said Carne's case was different from Australian tennis coach Gavin Hopper who was last year jailed for nine sex offences involving a teenage girl.

He said that unlike Hopper, Carne pleaded guilty at the earliest possible opportunity and spared the girls and their families a trial.

Carne's conduct had destroyed his career and he could now only see his three children, aged between nine and 14 years old, once a fortnight under supervision, he said.

Judge Carolyn Douglas remanded Carne in custody for a sentencing hearing at a date to be fixed.

- AAP