Former Nelson Mandela Bay teacher and water polo coach Dean Carelse allegedly created an Instagram account under the alias “Taylor Brooke” and then used it to chat to and groom children.
This new information, which came to light on Friday, has put Carelse behind bars in Queensland after his bail was revoked by an Australian court the next day.
It is alleged that Carelse created an alias Instagram account under the profile “Taylor Brooke”, using the handle “taybrookesa”, to groom children.
He apparently used the account, which has since been deactivated, to initiate conversations with multiple children.
Carelse, 40, taught and coached sport at Grey and Pearson high schools in Gqeberha before moving overseas.
It is further alleged that he stole items from the school he has since been suspended from and forged certain documents, according to Queensland police.
He was charged with 14 counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16, five counts of stealing, two counts of forgery and one count each of grooming and observations or recordings in breach of privacy.
“The charges also include the alleged forgery of documentation and theft of items from a school where he was previously employed.”
Carelse was arrested by the Sunshine Coast Child Abuse Unit while reporting at the station, a condition of his original bail conditions.
He appeared in the Maroochydore Magistrate’s Court on Saturday and was remanded until his next appearance on August 6.
Carelse's licence to teach in Australia was suspended on March 22 by the Queensland College of Teachers.
He tried to overturn his suspension but his bid to get back to the classroom was denied by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Senior member Ned Aughterson ruled on May 10 that his suspension would remain in place.
“I am not satisfied that it is an exceptional case in which the best interests of children would not be harmed if the suspension were ended,” he said in his judgment.
Police from the Sunshine Coast Child Protection Unit initially charged Carelse with possession and distribution of child exploitation material after a raid on his Mooloolaba home.
Mooloolaba is a coastal suburb of Maroochydore in the Sunshine Coast region in Queensland.
Detectives searched the former Matthew Flinders Anglican College teacher’s home on March 20.
They seized several items of interest.
Carelse previously described the allegations as an “unfortunate misunderstanding”.
He was removed from his position at Matthew Flinders after it emerged that he had communicated with students via social media.
In March, Matthew Flinders principal Stuart Meade said Carelse’s contract had been terminated in October due to a code of conduct breach.
In the same month, Water Polo Queensland issued a statement saying Carelse had been suspended.
In a video posted on the website of a radio station based in Maroochydore, Zinc 96.1 FM, Carelse can be seen leaving the court on June 2 while journalists pester him for comment.
“Are you going to fight the charges?” one reporter asks.
Another asks: “Have you anything to say to the victim?”
Carelse ignores them and walks into a nearby restaurant.
In May, Carelse thanked people on Facebook for their support.
“I would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming support and kind words during this difficult time.
“I am hurt at how situations can be so sensationally misconstrued,” he posted.
Gqeberha court documents, meanwhile, show Carelse sent lewd text messages that appear to suggest he had a sexual encounter with a minor — almost 20 years before his arrest in Australia.
As far back as 2002, Carelse had sent the messages to his ex-boyfriend.
They appear to show him admitting he had been sexually physical with a then grade 9 pupil at Grey High School, where he was a hostel assistant at the time.
Following Carelse’s first arrest in March, his ex-boyfriend came forward with details of his own case in 2005.
The text messages are contained in those court documents.
Carelse was employed at Grey between 2003 and 2013. His contract at Pearson was terminated three years ago.
Australian detectives, meanwhile, are appealing to anyone who may have had interactions with him or know of any potential victims to come forward.
HeraldLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.