The victim stood at the front of the courtroom, describing the repercussions she’s faced in the last six months since reporting a teacher’s sexual misconduct at Seton LaSalle High School.

The girl, now 16, no longer feels comfortable there.

Her fellow students see her differently.

And she has distressing thoughts.

But when it came time for him to speak, the judge sought to focus on her bravery, praising her after accepting a guilty plea from Damon Gall, the former teacher who groped her.

“She doesn’t realize it right now, but she will someday,” Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Bruce Beemer said. “She’s heroic.”

School, he told the defendant before him, is supposed to be a safe place.

“And who are you supposed to be able to trust at school? The teachers.”

But the teen’s whole life has changed, Beemer continued, “because she had the courage to come forward and do this and tell what you did.”

Gall, 25, of Canonsburg pleaded guilty on Wednesday to corruption of minors and indecent assault stemming from an incident following a math class on Dec. 12.

The plea agreement called for probation, which Beemer set at seven years.

Gall must also register as a sex offender for 25 years and participate in mental health and sexual offender treatment.

“You do not want to find yourself back in front of this court for not following these conditions,” the judge said. “You’re getting your freedom here as opposed to a jail cell.

“Don’t waste it.”

According to Assistant District Attorney Emily Shanahan, the victim was in class on Dec. 12 taking a math test at the school in Mt. Lebanon. After class ended, according to a criminal complaint, the student remained to finish her exam.

Gall, a substitute teacher, sat next to her.

At first, she reported, his knee touched hers. Then, he asked if she knew how beautiful she was, Shanahan said.

Gall then touched her sexually.

The encounter ended when the student received a call about her ride home and stood up to leave, the complaint said.

“That’s disappointing,” Gall said, according to the document.

The teen reported the assault on Jan. 23, Shanahan said.

TribLive does not name victims of sexual assault.

When Gall was interviewed by Mt. Lebanon police, Shanahan told the court, he confessed.

He was fired by Seton LaSalle and will no longer be able to obtain child abuse clearances to teach.

As part of the plea agreement, the prosecution withdrew charges of institutional sexual assault and indecent assault.

Defense attorney Nina Martinelli told the court that her client was cooperative with police and was taking responsibility for his actions.

“He is very ashamed and embarrassed by this entire situation,” she said. “He understands he made a big mistake.”

Beemer bristled at Martinelli’s word choice.

“It wasn’t a mistake,” the judge said. “I don’t want your client thinking this is a mistake, because it’s not.”

Martinelli told the court that Gall understands the seriousness of what he’s done.

“The whole point of our criminal justice system is for a person like him to be rehabilitated,” she said.

As part of his probation, Gall must register with the state police as a sex offender, may not consume drugs or alcohol and will be subject to polygraph examinations to ensure he is following the conditions set by the court.

He may not be around children and cannot be within 100 feet of a school, playground or other places where children gather.

Beemer reminded him, too, that he’ll never be able to teach again.

“Look at all you’ve now thrown away with your actions.”

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