Phillip Trutman, 44, will be sentenced today after the County Court yesterday heard details of his repeated sexual assaults on students between 1985 and 1995. Trutman, a former boarding student at the school, was charged with 22 counts of indecent assault and 19 counts of gross indecency. A further charge of possessing child pornography was not related to his time at the school. The court, sitting at Geelong, heard Trutman, who was an unpaid boarding house supervisor, used his position to assault children aged eight to 13.
Some were assaulted up to 30 times each.
The court heard Trutman was considered a surrogate older brother to many boys who were away from home and extremely vulnerable.
Between 1985 and 1996, he worked as a live-in teaching assistant at the now-closed Highton campus in exchange for meals and housing.
Now living in Lal Lal, his crimes were exposed when a student went to police. Trutman then confessed to the other abuse, the court heard.
Judge John Smallwood said he would consider his sentencing decision overnight.
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