Bialik College in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Image by Wikimedia

SYDNEY (JTA) — Police arrested a teacher at a Melbourne Jewish day school after his previous employer, also a Jewish day school, allegedly uncovered child pornography and surreptitiously taken photos on a computer he used.

“Detectives have charged a man following an investigation into child pornography and upskirting incidents at an Eastern suburbs school,” a police spokesperson told JTA on Thursday, saying that the alleged incidents took place between 2014 and 2017. “Upskirting” describes photos taken of the crotch area with the subject’s knowledge or consent.

“The 52-year-old man has been charged with make/produce child porn and possess child pornography,” the spokesperson said. The suspect, who is presently employed by Mount Scopus Memorial College and who worked at Bialik College, was not named.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Bialik College said in a statement that it uncovered the evidence as a result of its “proactive child protection policy and procedures in place that includes robust screening, induction and monitoring processes.”

“Recently, an audit of defunct computer equipment resulted in the discovery of this material,” the statement said. “Immediately, the school notified Victoria Police, the Victorian Institute of Teaching and the teacher’s current employer.”

Rabbi James Kennard, the principal at Mount Scopus Memorial College, told JTA that there were no allegations that the suspect had been in direct contact with children, which Bialik College also said.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount