An Indian convicted sex offender is behind bars in Victoria after allegedly tutoring groups of children whose parents had no idea about his criminal history.
Damodar Kodavaluru, 58, was put on the Sex Offenders Register as a result of sexual assault proceedings involving a 16-year-old in 2022, but allegedly ran Smart Tutoring Centre from out of his home in Dandenong, where he taught young students English and maths, the Herald Sun reported.
Dandenong Magistrates Court on Friday heard Kodavaluru, who appeared via videolink from custody, allegedly failed to report having unsupervised contact with a child within the timeframe required by the Sex Offenders Registration Act, which bans “coaching or private tuition services of any kind for children”.
The court also heard Kodavaluru allegedly failed to report changes of phone number, vehicle and employment details to police, and is facing 14 charges he intends to plead guilty to.
However, he could potentially be hit with more charges as police are still interviewing families of other students linked to the tutoring centre.
Kodavaluru did not make an application for bail, and the case was adjourned until March 2.
One mother whose child was tutored by Kodavaluru for years told the Herald Sun learning about the charges was “one of the worst days of my life”.
“All sorts of horrible thoughts went through my head. As a parent you feel that you’ve let your child down. You feel guilty as well … I assumed the necessary checks had been done,” she said.
She also claimed Kodavaluru provided an elaborate story for why he didn’t have a Working with Children Check, telling her it was because he had been charged for road rage.
A spokesperson for the Commission for Children and Young People said parents should always confirm that a tutor has a valid Working with Children Check, and referees that are verifiable.
“Under the Worker Screening Act, private tutors who work with children are required to have a Working with Children Check, and it can be a criminal offence if they engage in child-related work without one,” the spokesperson said.
Header image: Damodar Kodavaluru (Facebook).
