Wheatbelt teacher granted bail over child exploitation material charges
A Wheatbelt teacher has been granted strict bail after facing charges over the alleged possession and distribution of child exploitation material in Western Australia.
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A 28-year-old teacher from Western Australia’s Wheatbelt region has been granted bail after being charged with allegedly possessing and distributing child exploitation material.
Darrel Calvin Scott appeared by video link from Hakea Prison at the North Magistrates Court on Monday. He faces two charges of distributing child exploitation material and one charge of possessing it.
Police prosecutors told the court that Mr Scott was working as a teacher at a high school about 100 kilometres north-east of Perth when the alleged offences occurred. He has since lost his job following the charges.
The court was not told that the alleged offences were connected to students or to Mr Scott’s professional duties at the school.
Northam Senior High School wrote to parents and guardians last week after the matter involving a staff member came to light. The school said support services were available for students affected by the situation and stressed that the case was being handled by the WA Police Force.
“Our school has support staff available for students as needed,” the letter said.
The school also said the safety and wellbeing of students remained central to its decisions. The Department of Education indicated it was prepared to provide assistance if required.
Mr Scott was arrested earlier this month at a home in Northam. Police allegedly found three videos containing child exploitation material during an initial examination of his mobile phone.
Prosecutors alleged that Mr Scott sent the videos to two people using the private messaging app Session. The court also heard that online conversations found on his phone allegedly involved inappropriate fantasies about students.
According to the prosecution, Mr Scott admitted saving the videos to his phone before later deleting them.
Police opposed his bail application, but Magistrate Sarah Wisbey granted bail after considering Mr Scott’s lack of a previous criminal record and the strict conditions proposed.
The bail conditions include a personal undertaking of $5,000 and a further surety of $5,000. Mr Scott must live with his parents, one of whom is a police officer.
He is also prohibited from accessing the internet and must not have unsupervised contact with children.
Mr Scott did not enter pleas to the charges. He is due to return to court in October. The allegations have not been tested in court.
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