A former physical education teacher already serving what authorities describe as Australia’s longest sentence for child sexual abuse has been handed an additional seven-and-a-half years in prison after a Victorian court found him guilty of further alleged sexual crimes against two female students at a Gippsland high school in the 1980s.
William “Rob” Gilfillan, a former teacher at Traralgon Secondary College, appeared in court for sentencing after a jury in December found him guilty of five counts — including indecent assault of a person under 16 and sexual penetration of a child under 16 — alleged to have been committed against two schoolgirls in his care. The new sentence will be served concurrently with his existing 48-year term.
What the court found #
The court was told the five counts against two separate complainants are alleged to have occurred at Traralgon Secondary College, in Victoria’s Gippsland region, during the 1980s when Gilfillan was employed there as a physical education teacher. The alleged offending was described in court as “brazen and forcible”.
A jury returned guilty verdicts in December on all five counts. Gilfillan was subsequently brought back before the court for sentencing, where a judge considered the nature and circumstances of the alleged conduct as presented to the jury throughout the trial.
The court was told the alleged offending took place in a school environment where Gilfillan held a position of trust and authority over the young women, a factor the sentencing judge was required to weigh under Victorian sentencing principles relating to the abuse of positions of authority over children.
Australia’s longest child abuse sentence — a brief history #
Gilfillan is already serving a 48-year non-parole-period sentence — understood to be the longest ever imposed in Australia for child sexual abuse offences — following a separate prosecution related to alleged crimes against his own daughter over many years. That sentence was handed down after a lengthy legal process in which Gilfillan was convicted of a very large number of counts against a family member.
The Traralgon prosecution represents a distinct and separate matter. VCN understands the two prosecutions were handled separately by Victoria Police and the Office of Public Prosecutions, with the school-based allegations coming to light through a process that included contact from former students.
Because the new seven-and-a-half-year sentence is to be served concurrently with the existing term, Gilfillan’s effective time in custody does not increase by the full additional term. However, the convictions are significant in their own right: they represent a formal finding by a Victorian jury that the alleged conduct against the two schoolgirls occurred.
The Traralgon Secondary College context #
Traralgon Secondary College is a state high school in the Latrobe Valley in Gippsland, approximately 160 kilometres east of Melbourne. The alleged offending that was the subject of this most recent prosecution is said to have taken place over a period in the 1980s when Gilfillan was a member of the teaching staff.
Historical child sexual abuse cases involving school staff present particular challenges for investigators and prosecutors. Allegations often emerge decades after the alleged events, meaning physical evidence is rarely available and proceedings frequently rest on the evidence of complainants and witnesses. Victorian courts have, over the past two decades, become increasingly experienced in managing such matters, including through legislative reforms that have made it easier for adult survivors to come forward.
The court was told that, as with many historical abuse prosecutions, the alleged crimes at the centre of this case were not reported to authorities at the time they are alleged to have occurred.
How the Victorian courts handle historical abuse cases #
Victoria’s criminal law framework has undergone significant reform in recent decades to better support complainants in historical sexual abuse matters. Among the changes: the abolition of the Limitation of Actions Act provisions that previously barred some civil claims; reforms to how tendency and coincidence evidence is handled in multi-complainant prosecutions; and a broadening of the circumstances in which the evidence of one complainant can be used to support the evidence of another.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse — which concluded in 2017 and examined institutions across Australia, including Victorian schools — made recommendations that have since influenced both police investigation approaches and prosecutorial practices in this state. Victoria Police’s Sano Taskforce, established to investigate historical child abuse in institutional settings, has been responsible for a number of prosecutions of alleged offenders whose conduct dates back to the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
VCN understands that investigations involving former school staff can take a number of years from the point of a complaint being made to a matter reaching trial, owing to the complexity of evidence-gathering and the need to trace witnesses across long periods of time.
What happens next #
Gilfillan remains in custody. The concurrent nature of the new sentence means he will continue serving his existing term, with the additional convictions now forming part of his official criminal record.
It is not yet confirmed whether Gilfillan or his legal representatives intend to seek leave to appeal against the convictions or the sentence imposed for the Traralgon offending. VCN will report on any appeal proceedings as they arise on the public court record.
For the two complainants at the centre of this latest prosecution, the outcome of the sentencing represents the conclusion of what are understood to have been years of engagement with the justice system. Under the Judicial Proceedings Reports Act 1958 (Vic), VCN is legally prohibited from publishing any information that would identify a complainant in a sexual offence matter, and we will not be doing so.
Broader significance #
The case is a reminder that historical sexual abuse by teachers and other people in positions of authority over children continues to be prosecuted in Victoria, sometimes many decades after the alleged offending. Advocates for survivors have long argued that the courage required to come forward — and to endure the process of giving evidence in open court — should be acknowledged publicly, even where the identity of those individuals must remain protected by law.
Support organisations in Victoria report ongoing demand for services from adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, including those whose alleged abusers occupied positions of institutional trust such as teachers, coaches, and clergy.
The matter is now concluded at first instance. Gilfillan is presumed to maintain the presumption of innocence on any matter not yet adjudicated, but in respect of these five counts, a jury has delivered its verdict. All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law on any charges not yet determined.
Support services #
If you or someone you know has been affected by the issues raised in this article, confidential support is available around the clock from the following services:
- Sexual Assault Crisis Line (Victoria): 1800 806 292 — 24 hours, 7 days
- 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — national sexual assault and family violence counselling
- Safe Steps (Victoria): 1800 015 188 — 24-hour family violence response
- Lifeline: 13 11 14 — crisis support and suicide prevention
- Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 — anxiety, depression and mental health support
- 13YARN: 13 92 76 — 24-hour crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Crime Stoppers Victoria: 1800 333 000 — to report information about crime anonymously
