A former Ballarat school teacher has pleaded guilty to dozens of child sexual abuse charges spanning a 30-year period from 1960 in regional Victoria.
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Vincent Henry Reynolds, 78, yesterday pleaded guilty in the County Court to 42 counts of indecent assault, mainly against young boys under 16.
It followed guilty pleas in the lower Wodonga Magistrates Court in December.
Reynolds taught in the 1960s and early 1970s at at least six schools including Sebastopol, Carranballac, Ballarat, Linton and Wendouree primary schools, before he moved to the north-east.
He molested his students at a number of schools including Wodonga, Yackandandah, Dederang and Myrtleford.
The court heard Reynolds would molest his victims while pretending to correct their homework, mark their schoolwork, or at opportunistic times such as when his class was watching a film or when a child needed to change clothes.
One of the boys told his parents about the offending, but they didn't believe him.
Some cases involved skin contact and others involved groping over their clothes.
He placed one victim's hand on his penis and instructed the boy to "rub it" and gave another boy similar instructions
Reynolds was sent to a psychiatrist in the 1980s amid claims of sexual offending, but was sent back to his teaching career.
The Osbornes Flat man eventually took sick leave in 1992, when the allegations came to light.
Reynolds married in the 1960s and that relationship continues today.
The court was told the pair parented three children together.
Reynolds will return to the Melbourne County Court on Tuesday.
