A sexual abuse survivor has sued the state after she suffered at the hands of a former teacher while a student at Geelong High School.

The woman, who was abused by then English teacher Luke Joseph Martin, said school leaders needed to look out for signs students were being preyed on.

Martin begun communicating with the student via messages on a school system, later moving to a mobile, where he exchanged about 44,000 messages, including 5408 sexually explicit videos and voice recordings.

The survivor, who declined to be named, said she felt failed by the school and had no access to pastoral or counselling where she could disclose the abuse she was was suffering.

Arnold Thomas and Becker lawyer Taylah McWilliams, who acted for the woman, said the case suggested the Department of Education had not done enough to ensure children were safe from teacher abuse.

“It unfortunately reveals that despite all the work done to address institutional abuse it is still happening in our schools,” she said.

Ms McWillians said the client was incredibly intelligent, and had been tracking to achieve high academic results at school and even hoped to pursue a career in medicine.

“The horrific abuse she experienced has completely derailed her study plans and ability to cope with day to day life,” she said.

Full story at The Geelong Advertiser.

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