A disturbing incident unfolded at a primary school where a teacher reportedly took a camera that had been discovered in a bathroom by a cleaner and then attempted to conceal it. The device was originally found hidden within an odour dispenser, complete with a wire leading to a hard drive, according to court documents.
The situation began when the cleaner, while changing a fragrance in the men’s restroom on Tuesday, stumbled upon the camera. Recognizing the potential severity, she placed the camera in a plastic bag and set it on the principal’s desk. Authorities were promptly notified with a call to Triple Zero.
Before the police could arrive, the camera, still in its bag, was left on the principal’s desk. It is alleged that the teacher, Blamires, took the camera from the desk and hid it in a drawer in the sick bay before continuing with his teaching duties.
Following Blamires’ arrest, the odour dispenser was discovered in his backpack at the school. Additionally, a search of his home led to the seizure of several electronic devices, including laptops, phones, and tablets.
Blamires appeared in court via video link on Friday, following his application for bail earlier that week on Wednesday.
Blamires appeared in court via video link on Friday after applying for bail on Wednesday.
His defence lawyer had argued Blamires was entitled to bail as he had no prior convictions and any risks he posed could be addressed with strict conditions, the court was told.
His brother offered a $50,000 surety to secure Blamires’ release and said he would live with him and ensure he did not violate any of his bail conditions.
Those conditions could include a ban on Blamires being within 200 metres of any school and possessing a device with access to the internet.
But prosecutors argued Blamires’ risk to safety of the public, children in particular, and the possibility he will destroy evidence, were too great to permit his release into the community.
Magistrate Timothy Gattuso detailed claims that Blamires had tried to hide the camera after it was found by a cleaner.
“You appear to have removed the device that had been located in the toilets by the cleaner, from the principal’s office, and apparently hid it,” he told the court.
There were also concerns that Blamires may “access the cloud and destroy evidence” as he had allegedly given police false passwords to his devices, the magistrate said.
“Some of the passwords you gave to police on their direction to access devices that were seized were not successful in enabling access,” Gattuso said.
He said Blamires was “highly likely” to face a term of imprisonment if the charges against him were proven, pending any matters in mitigation.
Blamires’ bail was refused as Gattuso found his risks could not be reduced to an acceptable level, as he pointed to difficulties in enforcing a ban on internet access.
“Conditions not to access the cloud or not to use the internet are almost impossible to enforce, given the ease in which access can be obtained,” he said.
Blamires’ lawyer said his client had been struggling with his mental health and was “extremely vulnerable” in custody, as he asked for him to be placed in an isolated cell.
He was taken back into custody and will return to court on May 15.
Victoria’s Department of Education said it was working closely with Kingswood Primary School and police to respond to the matter, “which is deeply distressing for the school community”.
“Immediate support is being made available for students and staff impacted by this incident,” a spokesperson said.
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