Former Anglican Church Grammar School deputy headmaster Chris Klemm jailed for child sex offences
- From: The Courier-Mail
- November 04, 2010
Chris Klemm pictured in 2009 when he was stood down by the school. Source: The Courier-Mail
THE former deputy headmaster of Brisbane's prestigious Anglican Church Grammar Preparatory School, aka "Churchie", has pleaded guilty to four charges relating to sex acts with a boy under the age of 14.
Christopher Michael Klemm, 52, today pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent treatment of a child under 14 and one of unnatural offence -- which is carnal knowledge against the act of nature.
He was jailed for five years to be suspended after serving 15 months in custody.
The Brisbane District Court was told the popular teacher was struggling with his sexuality when he molested a young student, then aged between 12 and 15, on four separate occasions between February 10, 1985 and January 1, 1988.
Prosecutor Vicki Loury said Klemm, then the boy's boarding master and maths and social sciences teacher, befriended the boy and acted as a father figure when the child was sent to Churchie not long after the death of his mother.
She said Klemm would invite the boy, at the time aged 12, to visit him in his room at the school's boarding house and sit on his lap as they watched television.
The court was told Klemm eventually moved into a unit at Highgate Hill, in Brisbane's inner-south, and would collect the boy after school to come over for visits.
Ms Loury said it was during these visits Klemm twice had the boy perform a sex act on him and once sodomised the child.
She said on another occasion the boy performed a sex act on Klemm in Churchie's school grounds.
The court was told Klemm taught at Churchie for all but two-years of his teaching career from 1981 and up until he was stood down when police revealed they were investigating him for child sex offences on October 1 last year.
Barrister Catherine Cuthbert, for Klemm, said her client was confused about his sexuality and was a virgin when he began teaching at Churchie.
She said Klemm became “infatuated’’ with the boy victim and believed he had “found true love’’ as their bond developed.
“There is a breach of trust (in this case) clearly,’’ she said.
“But, the fact is Mr Klemm was infatuated with (the boy) … and believed he had found true love.’’
The court heard Klemm was identified because of an "anatomical anomaly".
