Coach who sent teen 'inappropriate' messages banned from working with kids

In short:

A sports coach who was acquitted of making a child amenable to sexual activity has been prohibited from working with children.

A tribunal heard he sent a teenager more than 140 Facebook messages that demonstrated "an inappropriate and overly familiar pattern of communication".

The tribunal found the coach posed "an unacceptable risk of harm to children" and upheld the ban.

An Adelaide sports coach has been banned from working with children after a tribunal found he sent inappropriate messages to a teenager.

The man was acquitted of a charge of communicating to make a child amenable to sexual activity in the South Australian District Court last year because the alleged offence had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt.

But the Department of Human Services issued a notice prohibiting the man from engaging in child-related work.

The man sought a review of the department's decision, which has been upheld by the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

In a recently published decision, the tribunal found the man sent the teenager more than 140 Facebook messages over a four-month period, which "demonstrate[d] an inappropriate and overly familiar pattern of communication".

"The messages indicate that the applicant initiated and continued the contact, persisting even after the child asked the applicant to stop,"

the ruling stated.

"Although there is no explicit sexual content in the Facebook conversations, the applicant's messages show a complete lack of boundaries and a secret nature to their relationship.

"In my view, the Facebook messages by themselves are enough for me to find the applicant poses an unacceptable risk of harm to children."

The tribunal found the coach made "a series of lapses of judgement", which included communicating with the child via Facebook, requesting the child's Snapchat details and an occasion where he called the child at 10pm.

The man did not deny the Facebook communication and accepted it was "inappropriate", the tribunal heard.

The tribunal noted the man had also previously been found guilty of a dishonesty offence which, along with the unproven allegation of other sexual communications with the child, necessitated "a conclusion that he is an unacceptable risk of harm to children".

The tribunal agreed with the department that the man's conduct was "a serious breach of professional boundaries" and that the messages were "indicative of grooming behaviour".

It said child safety laws required the safety and protection of children must be the paramount consideration.

"This scheme is not about punishing the applicant however it is a privilege and not a right to work with children," the ruling stated.

"At this point in time, I consider that if the applicant were permitted to work with children, this would not ensure the adequate protection of children."