After being accused of grooming an adolescent online, a teacher at Knox Grammar School in Sydney was fired.
After attending the prestigious institution as a student, William Gulson returned to teach there, a position he has maintained for more than three years.
However, the 27-year-old is out on bond tonight after appearing in Parramatta Local Court.
Reporters asked him how he planned to plead, and he responded, “No comment at this stage, thank you.”
Police started looking into claims earlier this month that Gulson had manipulated a 15-year-old on the internet before being taken into custody in Wahroonga yesterday afternoon.
According to the police, he asked the victim on his phone, “Do you find it hot that you’re the same age as some of my students?” In another purported interaction, a witness reportedly told Gulson that the victim was between the ages of 9 and 15.
To which Gulson allegedly responded, “Sorry, dude, I feel super conflicted.”
In light of the news, the teacher was fired by the school. In an email to parents Friday, the school stated, “… the teacher concerned was immediately removed from the school and his employment was terminated.”
“There is no other individual at risk and that there is no evidence that this behaviour extended beyond the online environment.”
Gulson is prohibited from using social media, dating apps, and the internet until his next court appearance in two weeks.
Also forbidden from him are any interactions with people younger than eighteen and any entry into or lingering near Knox Grammar School.
