A physical education teacher who had sex with his 14-year-old student has been jailed for five years.
Ben Nathan Kelly, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a sexual relationship with a child under 16, during the early 2000s, in the north of regional Victoria.
The Victorian County Court heard Kelly would have sex with the 14-year-old girl before her shifts at a local KFC restaurant, news.com.au reported.
A court heard physical education teacher Ben Nathan Kelly, 41, would have sex with his 14-year-old student before her shifts at a KFC (file image pictured) in regional north Victoria
Kelly, who was ten years older than his victim, initially got the schoolgirl's number through one of her friends, the court was told on Friday.
He began having sex with the 14-year old after sending her increasingly flirty text messages.
'There was an aspect of your conduct towards your victim that could be characterised as grooming,' Victorian County Court Judge Christopher Ryan said.
The court heard the teenager would sneak to Kelly's house to have sex before her shifts at KFC.
He also once passed her a note at school that read 'I want to f*** you'.
She revealed the secret relationship to a friend years later and Kelly became concerned.
He messaged the other woman and told her if the victim committed suicide it would be her fault.
The pair began a sexual relationship in the early 2000s after Kelly started texting the 14-year-old. The victim told the court the experience left her feeling 'damaged' (file image pictured)
'This was crude attempt by you to prevent the victim's friend from revealing to others the nature of the relationship,' Judge Ryan said.
The victim, now 31-years-old, told the court she struggled with her mental health and felt 'damaged' because of what had happened with Kelly.
'It is sickening… my trust was betrayed without me even realising it,' she said in a statement.
The court heard Kelly suffered from depression and was genuinely remorseful for his actions. He also pleaded guilty at an early stage of the case.
Kelly has also worked in a remote Indigenous community and donated to charities aimed at improving education in Indonesia.
The 41-year-old was placed on the registered sex offenders list for life.
He was sentenced to a maximum of five years in jail and will be eligible for parole in three years.
Kelly was sentenced to five years in jail at the Victorian County Court on Friday
