Sydney tennis coach jailed for a decade over sexual abuse of students
A Sydney tennis coach jailed for sexually abusing three underage students was provided character references ahead of his sentencing by a disgraced priest, a victim’s stepmother and 11 other community members.
John Bako, 53, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for sexually abusing two girls and one boy who were aged 12, 13 and 15 when the abuse began, according to court documents.
Bako had family and community ties to each of the victims and was hired as the children’s tennis coach when the abuse occurred. He stopped teaching tennis in 2017.
Sydney tennis coach John Bako was convicted for sexually abusing three underage students he gave private lessons to. Credit: Getty Images
One girl was abused over several months, the second over two years, while the boy was abused from age 13 to 19.
The abuse occurred in Bako’s home and his mother’s home, both in Roselands, and in the sheds at two tennis courts in Penshurst in southern Sydney as two of the victims’ parents sat nearby.
Bako was found guilty on 20 charges, including four counts of assault, two counts of act of indecency over 16 years old age, nine counts of indecent assault with a person under 16 years of age, four counts of aggravated indecency against a victim under 16 years of age and under the authority of the offender, and one count of an adult maintaining an unlawful relationship with a child.
Over a dozen community members provided the court references for Bako, including his wife and two daughters, a victim’s stepmother, and inner west priest Father Leslie Kostoglou.
The priest was stood down from his posting with the St Gerasimos Greek Orthodox Parish in Leichhardt in 2023 for embezzling parish funds. Kostoglou apologised for the “scandal” caused to the church at the time.
He confirmed to this masthead that he wrote a letter of referral for the courts for Bako, but said it was short and only attested to Bako’s parenting abilities and church attendance.
