Dean Gray: Parents’ grief after their son drowned on a camping trip took an ever darker turn when they found he was groomed by a teacher

The parents of a young father who tragically drowned during a camping trip with friends were horrified to discover that he had been sexually involved with a teacher from the age of 17. 

Dean Gray, 25, was camping with his younger brother and some of their closest friends in October 2021 when he dislocated his shoulder swimming across the swollen  Namoi River near Narrabri, about 500km north-west of Sydney.

His friends told him to stay put while they went for help but by the time they returned he was gone. His body was found five days later. 

Now Dean’s mother, Cherina, has revealed her horror at discovering her son had a sexual relationship with a teacher when she was looking through his phone after his tragic death. 

‘Can you imagine what it’s like for a mother to read?’, Ms Gray told Nine. 

Dean Gray, 25, (pictured with his mother, Cherina) drowned on a camping trip in October 2021. His mother later discovered horrifying messages on his phone with a teacher

Some of the thousands of messages shared between the teacher and Dean, which started when he was just 17

‘This is not just about a young boy having a fling with a teacher; this is definite grooming and abuse – abuse of power that someone has done in the most disgusting way.’

The messages began when Dean was 17 during the school holidays in 2013.

The teacher, who cannot be named for legal reasons, praised Dean for his results in a school test.

But the tone of the conversation changed over time. 

‘It becomes more and more regular. They are communicating a lot each day and it’s just subtly coming in a little kiss or a little heart or a wink and things like that,’ said Ms Gray.

The teacher even joked about going to prison 

The teacher acknowledged their significant age gap and even joked about being jailed for involvement with a pupil. 

In another, Dean said ‘marry me’ to which the teacher replied: ‘Ok. When I get out of jail from corrupting you’.

The thousands of messages, which took Dean’s mother a full day to read, only ended when the teacher’s partner discovered the affair.

Dean Gray, pictured with his fiancée Taylor Baxter and their son Bostin, vanished during a camping trip 

Pictured: The Namoi River near Narrabri, where Dean went missing 

At the time of Dean’s death he shared a two-year-old son called Bostin with his fiancée, Taylor Baxter. 

But before he began a relationship with Taylor he met his first girlfriend, Caitlyn Butler, while studying at TAFE after leaving school.

Ms Butler told Nine Dean revealed he had slept with one of his teacher’s in a game of Truth or Dare.

‘He said, “I slept with one of my school teachers”, and the whole room went quiet,’ said Butler.

‘Dean was young, he didn’t know right from wrong. It was more like, “how cool is this? I’m banging my teacher”.’

Dean’s parents first learnt of the alleged relationship in 2016 after a family member disclosed details of the abuse. 

At the time, they reported the allegations to the police and Education Department but an investigation was closed due to ‘insufficient evidence’.

It was only after Dean’s death in 2021 that his mother discovered the messages between her son and the teacher.

She took screenshots to the Department for Education and the police.

The teacher was stood down within 48 hours while a second investigation was launched. 

Dean and Taylor (pictured together) got engaged in about 2018, before they had their son Bostin

However, police said the director of public prosecution advised there was insufficient admissible evidence to proceed with charges.

The Education Department’s investigation is ongoing. 

Dean’s parents said they want a criminal conviction but feel it is unlikely at this stage.

‘But if (the teacher) can be publicly named… then that is still a victory. That would be a victory for our son,’ said Ms Gray.

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