I wouldn't do porn videos again - teacher

Info : News

THE teacher at the centre of a porn scandal says he wasn't thinking when he made a sex tape with a former student.

Former Oberon High School teacher John Walsh used the humiliating saga to warn others of the dangers of putting sexual material online.

"I think if there's any message it's that there's no safe place on the internet. Where we were supposed to be, it was supposed to be a restricted site, and obviously that's leaked out, and the rest is history," Mr Walsh told Network Ten's The Project.

Mr Walsh, who was forced to resign from the Geelong school, said he'd always liked teaching but "wanted to do something else".

"Take the morality issue out of it ... , I think the hurt that it caused ... and that really affected me," he said. "I'm very fond of the school, and I didn't really want that impacting on anyone further."

The video shows Mr Walsh and his co-star, Sarah Bradford, 23, naked, engaging in sexual acts, and with her blindfolded.

The graphic film went viral on social media sites after students discovered it online.

Mr Walsh resigned from his position before a Department of Education investigation into the scandal had ended.

Ms Bradford, who joined him on the program last night, said they were not romantically involved while she was a student.

"John was my teacher but, I mean, I was friends with him when I was at school in, like, a teacher-student manner," she said.

"And then I was out of the state for two years, and then I just sent John a message, and we got together and we've been together for 18 months."

Mr Walsh, who taught media studies to VCE students, said the irony wasn't lost on him that he'd been caught out on the internet.

The teacher now saw both sides of the argument and that the scandal had polarised people.

"There's that role model position, you're kind of thrust into it whether you accept it or not," he said. "If I was a plumber this wouldn't be an issue, would it?"

But, he said, looking back, he wouldn't repeat the episode.

"Hindsight's 20-20," he said. "I wouldn't be doing that again."

The pair run a natural herb shop in Geelong called Happy High Herbs.

The saga caused a massive backlash from parents and teachers.

Some staff at Oberon High said they would refuse to work with Mr Walsh if he returned.