A convicted paedophile who was jailed for 12 years for molesting 15 schoolboys has outraged his victims by appealing to have his already lenient sentence reduced.
Former Sydney teacher Shane Andrew Matthews pleaded guilty to 33 charges of child sexual abuse, possession of child pornography, and child grooming between 2012 and 2015.
But in a final insult, Matthews has filed a notice of intention to appeal, just two days after he was handed the maximum 18-year jail term, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Primary school teacher Shane Matthews (pictured) was sentenced to a minimum of 12 years in jail on Monday over child sex abuse charges
During the trial, Matthews wrote apology letters to each of his students, claiming he would accept the punishment handed down on him by the courts.
But one of his victims now believes the predator’s admission of guilt and apology wasn’t genuine as he is now trying to appeal what was already a ‘lenient sentence’.
‘He’s not sorry at all. It’s just bull****,’ the schoolboy said.
‘He should’ve got longer than 18 years.’
In sentencing at Campbelltown Local Court, Judge Jennifer English said that Matthews had acted like a ‘predator’.
In total, he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing 15 of his male students during his time at Wattle Grove Public School between 2012 and 2015.
On several occasions Matthews had meetings with parents of students at Wattle Grove Public School (pictured), where he told them their children needed tutoring
Matthews was regarded as a ‘cool’ teacher by students and regularly held superhero dress-up days (pictured)
Matthews (pictured) pleaded guilty to sexually abusing 15 students during his time teaching at Wattle Grove Public School, in Sydney’s west, between 2012 and 2015
Judge English’s comments were in contrast to the reputation Matthews developed in his three years working at the school.
During his trial, the court heard that he was ‘considered by the students to be a ‘cool’ teacher and was considered by parents to be a ‘good teacher’.
He would regularly hold ‘superhero days’ where he and the children would dress up and he would play games with his class in the schoolyard.
But it was this person that Matthews used to target the children he wanted to groom.
On several occasions the young teacher called parents in for private meetings about the progress of their child.
During these meetings he would often ask to provide additional private tutoring in an effort to help their child’s development.
But when children stayed behind to go through their studies one-on-one, Matthews would prey on them.
On multiple occasions during private one-on-one tutoring with another student the teacher told the boy to ‘stand up’ and ‘pull down his shorts’.
The ordeals left the boy so traumatised he lied to his mother about being ‘bullied’ at school in an attempt to be allowed to stay home.
Matthews was only caught when one of his former students, now in Year 10, told a different teacher to ‘f*** off’ after they put their hand on his leg years later.
When the boy’s parents asked him why he had reacted in this way the truth came out and police began to investigate Matthews’ history of abuse.
Police then spoke with other students taught by Matthews who revealed more complaints.
In sentencing at Campbelltown Local Court (pictured), Judge Jennifer English said that Matthews had acted like a ‘predator’