Thomas Gottaas: Chilling detail revealed after former teacher’s aide admits to abusing 12 kids

WARNING: Distressing content

Thomas Gottaas, a former teacher’s aide who admitted to abusing 12 children – the youngest being aged just 11 at the time – is awaiting his sentencing not behind bars but out on bail.

Somewhere out there are seven children abused by the man, but their identities remain unknown.

Gottaas has admitted to a string of child abuse charges relating to 12 victims, none of whom can be identified due to their age. None of the victims were his students.

Five of his victims were aged between 11 and 16 at the time of the abuse: at least two of them were known to Gottaas.

Chillingly, court documents have revealed there are a further seven children that Gottaas abused who police have been unable to identify.

“The exact age and identity of the child is not known,” the documents state.

The children, referred to as unknown child A-G in the documents, are estimated to be aged between 12 and 15.

Gottaas had 56 child abuse material (CAM) files of the unknown children in his possession.

In the case of unknown child F, who is estimated to be about 13 or 14 years old, Gottaas had 28 CAM files.

Then 18, Gottaas worked as a teacher’s aide throughout the period of offending in 2024. He will remain on bail ahead of his sentencing in February after admitting to a string of child abuse offences.

Man tricked 11yo boy

Harrowing details of Gottaas’ offending have been outlined in the documents, though much of it is too disturbing to publish.

This includes Gottaas tricking an 11-year-old boy into thinking he was helping him, as the young boy tried to navigate requests for explicit content from a Snapchat account purporting to be a girl.

In reality, Gottaas was using the Snapchat account to pressure the boy to send him naked videos and images of himself and then using his own number to encourage the boy to comply with the “girl’s” requests.

“i reckon just do legit whatever she wants makes it perfect so she can’t complain … than we block her,” Gottaas told the 11-year-old at one point.

Gottaas pretended to talk to the fake account he operated, telling the 11-year-old boy the “girl” had demanded he send her more material or she would “leak” other videos she already had of the young boy.

“If i was u … I’d just do it, get it over and done with,” Gottaas told the boy, quelling his fears that the “girl” might just leak the videos anyway by saying “I don’t think she will”.

Child abuser’s threats

In another case, Gottaas used his second mobile number to talk to himself in a bid to coerce a 16-year-old to get in touch with him.

“I want you to get … to msg me please,” Gottaas wrote via his fake number.

“he removed me off snapchat, do you wanna see his nudes cause if he doesn’t msg me so … many people will be seeing them.”

“Yeah go on show,” Gottaas replied as himself, before using the fake number to send a CAM video of the boy.

The conversation with himself continued, with Gottaas using the fake number to ask if he wanted to see videos with the boy’s face in it.

‘Do you have siblings’: Abuser’s vile request

In one disturbing case, Gottaas asked a 16-year-old boy to perform a sexual act next to his 12-year-old brother for a higher payment.

“Do you have siblings btw (would pay u more to send near them),” Gottaas said.

“surely cmon I beg,” he added, after the teen replied maybe another time.

The 16-year-old later clarified his younger brother was sleeping in his mum’s bed, but he might be able to fulfil the request another night.

The 16-year-old did not follow through with this request.

The boy met Gottaas on an encrypted chat platform designed for people under the age of 24.

Gottaas had set his age to 16 and would ask children “Want to make $$$”.

The boy complied with Gottaas’ requests for him to perform a series of sexual acts over video calls.

At one point the boy had to end one of the calls because his mum had woken up.

Gottaas paid the boy $170 between November 11 and 22 last year, though only $105 has been linked to the content the boy sent him.

Now 19, Gottas will be sentenced over his crimes in February.

He could face a minimum penalty of five years’ imprisonment for an offence relating to the 11-year-old boy and a maximum of between 15 and 20 years in jail for some of the other offences.

If you or someone you know needs help, contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), or Sexual Assault Counselling Australia on 1800 211 028, the WA Sexual Assault Resource Centre on 6458 1828 or 1800 199 888 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Young people seeking support can phone beyondblue on 1300 22 4636 or go to headspace.org.au.