Former SA teacher who groomed students on Snapchat jailed for child sex offences

A former Yorke Peninsula teacher who groomed multiple students has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, with a judge describing his apology as an “insincere insult” to his young victims.

Thomas Ackland pleaded guilty in August this year to 13 counts of aggravated communicating with a child with the intention of making that child amenable to sexual activity and one count of child sexual abuse.

The 31-year-old was sentenced in the District Court to 14 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 11 years, two months and two days.

Judge Paul Muscat said between 2017 and 2021, Ackland used social media platform Snapchat to groom 14 teenage male victims aged between 12 and 18.

They were students at the Yorke Peninsula school where Ackland worked for eight years as an English and Humanities teacher.

He said the offending left his victims feeling “ashamed” and “embarrassed”.

“You betrayed the position of authority and trust imposed on you by the school, the parents of the students you abused and, of course, the very students themselves,” he said.

“For some of them, looking back on what should have been the best years of their formative lives at school in preparing them for adulthood and their futures has been crushed.”

Judge tells offender to ‘wake up to himself’

Ackland delivered an apology to his victims in court in November, stating he was ashamed of his behaviour and his intention of treating his victims as “buddies or as friends crossed the line”.

During sentencing, Judge Muscat said he did not accept Ackland’s apology and he was “in denial” about his “patent” sexual interest in children.

The judge said Ackland’s claim that his communication with the students was “the product of stupidity” was “disingenuous and quite frankly hypocritical”. 

“In light of that, your apology to the students who you abused, their families and co-workers was hollow,” Judge Muscat said. 

“In contrary to what you stated, insincere.

“What you stated was an insult to the many students you sexually abused, for that is what you did to them.”

Judge Muscat said the former “good, respected and popular teacher” was warned by a co-worker, students and police about his offending, but he persisted.

“You seriously need to wake up to yourself over what you were doing and why you were doing it and stop pretending otherwise,” he said.

Families pleased ‘monster’ now in prison

Outside court, lawyer Andrew Carpenter, who was supporting the victims’ families, said Ackland’s 14-year prison sentence was a “welcome result”.

“It’s still nowhere near the life sentence that all the children that came forward will receive for what happened to them,” he said.

“His offending was one of the most brazen things you can think of where he was a person that took advantage of people in a position of trust.”

Mr Carpenter said it was disappointing “people in positions of power at the school” had not spoken up earlier when they heard “rumblings” of Ackland’s behaviour.

“It shouldn’t have happened, but the families are overall pleased with this result that this monster is off the streets for a long period of time,” Mr Carpenter said.