A disgraced high school teacher who filmed up the skirts of schoolgirls and their mothers during interviews has walked free from court.
Brendan Cohen, 52, was sentenced to five months in jail but was granted bail while waiting for an appeal.
Cohen pleaded guilty to filming up the skirts of students at Bialik College and Mount Scopus Memorial College in Melbourne, both on the grounds and during parent-teacher interviews between 2015 and 2017.
He admitted to creating child pornography by photoshopping faces of 36 children children aged from 11 to 17-years-old on to pornographic photos and a video, the Herald Sun reported.
Former high school teacher Brendan Cohen has been sentenced to five months in jail for ‘upskirting’ schoolgirls and their mothers during interviews – but he has walked free on bail waiting for an appeal (stock image)
Cohen was sentenced at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
A Bialik College engineer sparked an investigation into Cohen after pornographic material was found on Cohen’s computer hard drive.
Victoria Police found more than 80 videos made by Cohen, filmed up the skirts of parents and students during searches of the school in May 2017.
Magistrate Charlie Rozencwajg said Cohen’s actions were ‘fundamentally wrong’ and he would’ve been jailed for nine months if not for his early guilty plea.
Cohen was sentenced to serve a two-year Community Corrections Order.
He read a lengthy apology at his sentencing hearing on Tuesday.
Brendan Cohen, 52, pleaded guilty to filming up the skirts of students at Bialik College (pictured) in Melbourne
He had taught media at Bialik College for 15 years and then moved to Mount Scopus in 2016.
Bialik College principal Jeremy Stowe-Linder said Cohen’s behavior was ‘sickening’.
‘I acknowledge and applaud the dignity and bravery of the victims – at our school, at his next school, at the dance school, in shopping centres and in the wider community,’ he said.
He had taught media at Bialik College for 15 years and then moved to Mount Scopus Memorial College (pictured) in 2016
A victim of Cohen’s read an impact statement in court saying she was unable to sleep and suffered anxiety as a result of her teacher’s actions.
Other victims said their school years had been taken away from them.
Cohen has been disqualified from teaching and will appear in the County Court for an appeal hearing on April.