Former deputy principal sentenced over historical child sex offences

Matthew Keong, a former deputy principal in Brisbane, was last month found guilty of child sex offences which took place in the late 1990s.

The court heard the offending took place when Keong was in his mid-20s and was in the company of a teenage boy.

Keong, 54, was sentenced to six months in jail, which will be suspended after two months.

A former Brisbane deputy principal found guilty of historical child sex offences will have to serve two months in prison.

WARNING: The following story contains details some readers may find distressing.

Matthew John Keong was found guilty last month by a Brisbane District Court jury of two counts of unlawfully exposing an under 16-year-old to an indecent act.

On Wednesday, the 54-year-old was sentenced to six months in jail, which will be suspended after serving two months.

The court heard his offending took place in the late 1990s when he was in his mid-20s at a teenage boy's home.

Keong made sexualised comments to the boy, before exposing his genitals to him, the court heard.

After pressuring him to go "skinny-dipping" together, and commenting on the boy's genitals, the court heard Keong then followed him into his bedroom and masturbated next to him and encouraged him to do the same.

Crown prosecutor Luke Smoothy told the court the boy had previously "looked up" to Keong, and this was "ultimately a significant betrayal of trust".

"It is evident in my submission that the emotional weight, internal conflict and shame that [the boy has] felt for years has remained," he said.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the man spoke of the "guilt and anger" he has carried with him since the offending.

"I was one person before that night and a very different person after it," he said.

"I've spent most of nearly 30 years since, trying to find my way back."

The man said he did not report the offending to police until 2019 because he had built a life "on top of a secret" that he was "convinced said something terrible about me".

"The years of silence was not a choice I made, it was part of what was done to me," he said.

Keong's lawyer Marcin Lazinski told the court his client "was a young man himself" at the time and highlighted it was "no-contact offending".

"It was one evening, almost 30 years ago by a completely different man to the one who is in the dock today," he said.

Mr Lazinski told the court up until his arrest, Keong had been a teacher for decades which placed him around children, and he had not reoffended.

"Not only has he developed an extremely successful career in education, that career is now completely lost," he said.

The court heard in 2020 his teaching registration was suspended, and the following year he was suspended without pay from his Queensland Education role.

In August this year, his employment was terminated, the court heard.

Judge Anthony Rafter told the court he had "no doubt" imprisonment would be difficult for Keong, but ruled he did not have exceptional circumstances which would allow him to be handed a non-custodial sentence.

"You were entrusted to look after the complainant when his parents were out," he said.

"You persisted with your conduct, and it must have been apparent to you that he did not want you to engage in this way.

Earlier this year Keong, who has no criminal history, challenged separate historical child sex offences, but the unrelated trial was discontinued and two rape charges were dismissed.

Keong, who had been on bail for all the offences, was taken into custody from the dock.

His suspended sentence will be operational for 12 months.