WA TEACHER JAILED FOR ABUSING STUDENT ON SCHOOL GROUNDS TO LEARN APPEAL OUTCOME

A former WA relief teacher and sports coach who groomed and sexually abused a student will receive the outcome of an appeal on Monday.

Harry Sing Wan Lagdon is listed to appear by video link when the WA Court of Appeal delivers its judgment at 10am on 31 August.

The publicly available court listing does not reveal whether Lagdon is appealing his sentence, convictions or another aspect of the case.

Lagdon pleaded guilty to 25 child sex offences and was sentenced in August 2025 to seven years in prison. His sentence was backdated to June 2024 and he was made eligible for parole after five years and nine months.

WHAT THE COURT HEARD

The District Court was told Lagdon began grooming a 15 year old student while working at a regional high school.

He gave the student gifts and sent hundreds of explicit photographs and videos over approximately 18 months.

The sexual offending occurred in locations including a classroom, storage areas and a shed on school grounds, as well as inside his car and apartment.

After moving to Perth, Lagdon also communicated online with three children aged 12 and 13 while pretending to be a teenager. He requested explicit images and received images from two of them.

His offences included:

• •sexual penetration of a child under his authority
• •exposing children to indecent material
• •procuring or encouraging children to engage in sexual behaviour
• •possessing child exploitation material

THE JUDGE’S REMARKS

During sentencing, the judge described Lagdon’s conduct towards the student as a significant breach of trust and said children aged 12 and 13 were inherently vulnerable to online predators.

Lagdon had worked as a relief teacher and sports coach at schools across regional and metropolitan Western Australia.

Monday’s judgment will determine whether his appeal succeeds and whether any part of the existing court outcome changes.

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