Suspended Frankston teacher charged with child sex offences
A suspended science teacher from a public secondary school in Melbourne’s south-east has been charged with serious sexual offences, after child safety reports were made to school authorities last year.
McClelland College parents were told in a letter from the principal on Monday that Orhan Sahin had been charged with child sex offences.
McClelland College in Frankston.
Sahin had taught year 7 to 10 science students at the Frankston school from 2023 until May 2024 when he was removed following child safety allegations. He had also worked as a relief teacher at the school in 2022.
Principal Laura Dowdell Spence said she made sure parents were notified as soon as possible “given the serious nature of these charges”.
Dowdell Spence acknowledged the information would likely be distressing to the school community and said support was available to students.
She said the families of former McClelland students, who attended the school when Sahin was teaching, would also be notified.
“I commend the courage it takes for people to speak up and report behaviour that they have experienced or that they become aware of,” Dowdell Spence said.
“Out of respect for the privacy and well-being of any person directly impacted by these charges, and to ensure we don’t interfere with the court processes, I ask for your sensitivity when discussing or sharing information about this matter in the community.”
Sahin’s lawyer, Brett Halliwell of Bayside Solicitors, said on Tuesday that the former teacher would fight the charges.
