He was arrested at the school shortly after and when police questioned the teacher about the evidence against him, Russell-Keely replied he was “f—ed”.
He was released on bail conditions and an intervention order that both barred him from contacting the victim, but he ignored it.
“She was 14 and 15 years old. After your offending was detected, and you were bailed, you persistently contacted her in an attempt to carry on in what you had deluded yourself into believing was an erotic and affectionate relationship,” Judge Todd said.
Bryan Russell-Keely has been jailed for six years and eight months.
“No such relationship was possible between you, her teacher senior to her by 20 years, and a child.”
She said it was disturbing that Russell-Keely allowed himself “to become infatuated” to the degree that being arrested, spending a night in custody and being subject to a court order did not stop his behaviour.
He sent the victim a barrage of messages while on bail, telling her “she was worth fighting for”, that he loved her and that she was his “beautiful angel”.
She also sent him sexually explicit pictures and videos, which he saved on a device that used the victim’s birthday as a passcode.
The messages were confusing for the girl, who would later say in a victim impact statement that it “distorted her understanding of love and intimacy”, and she felt intense feelings of shame and sadness.
The teen’s mother said what the teacher did was “like an explosion” and it shattered their trust.
“These are just some of the poisonous consequences for your victim and her family,” Judge Todd said.
The court was told the disgraced teacher had no prior criminal history, had no substance abuse issues and came from a strong family background. However, she noted he had “low self-esteem and a lack of maturity”, which were not excuses, but provided context to the crime.
Russell-Keely has already served 309 days in prison and will be a registered sex offender for life.
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Source Agencies
