Forced to endure years of predatory and manipulative behaviour, a young victim has said she was "robbed" of her childhood after being sexually abused on multiple occasions by her teacher Damien Woods.
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The former Ballarat High School music teacher pleaded guilty to 12 charges in the Victorian County Court on February 7, 2024, which included multiple counts of sexual assault and sexual penetration of a child aged 16 or 17 under his care, supervision or authority.
On multiple occasion between August and December 2022, Woods sexually penetrated his 17-year-old victim, but the relationship had started six years earlier when the girl was in year seven.
From 2017, Woods had multiple associations with the victim, as a teacher at Ballarat High School and through weekly private music lessons.
During this time, Woods cultivated an increasingly intense relationship with the young girl, where he would send her regular texts discussing topics such as mental health, self harm and sexuality.
These conversations would take place in person during lessons, or via texts outside school hours, sometimes extending late into the evening.
By 2021, Woods was exchanging daily texts and receiving selfies from the victim, where he would tell her she looked "beautiful", "cute" or "pretty".
By the time his 17-year-old victim was in year 12, Woods had increased the physical contact between the pair.
On multiple occasions in 2022, he hugged the girl while aroused and later discussed his erection with her in text messages.
During this time, Woods also requested the girl send him sexually explicit images, and would describe his state of arousal in replies to her.
This escalated to the point where Woods would engage in phone sex with the child, and would send her photos of himself while visibly aroused.
During November 2022, Woods sexually assaulted his student multiple times, including in an empty classroom at school during the middle of the day.
By December, the 17-year-old had begun distancing herself from Woods, and on the 23rd of the month, she told a friend about the abuse she had experienced.
On January 2, 2023, the girl told her mother about her relationship with Woods, and the abuse was reported to police the next day.
During an investigation of the victim's laptop, police examined 110,804 messages sent between her and Woods from February 2020 to December 2022.
They also found 68 files of child abuse material featuring the victim which were sent to the teacher.
Woods was arrested on January 19, 2023, during which police seized multiple electronic devices and clothing belonging to him.
When interviewed by police, Woods denied most of the allegation against him, and that he had no sexual feelings towards the victim.
Victim and family describe 'severe' trauma to court
Reading a statement to court, the victim said she felt "extremely" isolated after the assault, and that being in Ballarat was unbearable after knowledge of the abuse became public.
"I feel I missed out on a lot of my childhood, I was isolated and told by him [Woods], when I was upset, I could go to him and nobody else," she said.
"I was robbed of friendships, relationships and learning the lessons a normal teenager should be learning."
"He took my first sex experience and robbed me of developing my own understanding of sex and intimacy."
The victim also said she couldn't separate her love of music from the abuse she experienced, and that every night she was forced to re-live what happened to her in recurring nightmares.
We were always told school was a safe place where we would be nurtured and protected, I'm angry this was a lie, I was not nurtured or protected I was abused.
- Victim speaking in court
"I'm also angry at the teachers of Ballarat High," she said.
"We were always told school was a safe place where we would be nurtured and protected, I'm angry this was a lie, I was not nurtured or protected - I was abused."
The victim's parents also read statements to court, where they detailed the extreme devastation the events had on their family.
Her father said he knew the "severe" trauma they had experienced would never disappear.
"The darkness that lives inside Damien Woods must be like a cancer which chooses to feed itself at the cost of everything else," he said.
"It's a darkness which makes me physically ill."
Previous good character 'significant' factor for defence
Defence lawyer Emily Clark said since being arrested, Woods had suffered a severe decline in his mental health, had faced harassment on the street, and had lost decade-long friendships and support networks which were connected to his musical activities.
She said her client had also shown remorse by pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity, and his previous good character across 26 years of teaching was a "significant" factor to be taken into account when considering his prospects of rehabilitation.
"It's reflected in the record of interviews that he's [Woods] struggled to come to terms with how he did this, how his judgment became so clouded he engaged in this conduct," she said.
It's reflected in the record of interviews that he's [Woods] struggled to come to terms with how he did this, how his judgment became so clouded he engaged in this conduct.
- Defence lawyer Emily Clark
Ms Clark also argued Woods hadn't exploited his position as a well respected teacher, but that the assault had developed from the "very particular" relationship he had cultivated with the victim.
This was disputed by prosecution lawyer Sandra MacDougall, who said Woods had exploited his position as a person of trust to the victim's family because of the many years of teaching and support he had provided.
Judge Kellie Blair adjourned the matter until February 16, 2024, for further plea hearings, and extended Woods' bail to that date.
Affected by this story? There is help available.
You can phone the Ballarat Centre Against Sexual Assault, in Sebastopol, on 5320 3933, or free-call the crisis care line 24 hours on 1800 806 292.
Or phone Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380, or Relationships Australia on 1300 364 277.
