Sexual Abuse Victim Describes Pain Caused By Band Director Who Pleaded Guilty

LUTZ, FL — The target of a former high school band director who preyed on the teenage student — monitoring her movements, convincing her she was friendless and raping her after Bible readings — told a judge how the teacher ruined her life.

The victim who spoke in court at a sentencing hearing said the relationship, which lasted eight months, became increasingly psychologically and physically abusive, and "scarred my body, my soul, my spirit and my mind."

Former Steinbrenner High School band director Jason Phillip Allgair opted to plead guilty rather than go to trial Wednesday on charges that he sexually abused a 17-year-old student.

During a court hearing Tuesday via Zoom, Allgair, 37, pleaded guilty to three charges of having a sexual relationship with an underage student. Judge Lyann Goudie of the 13th Judicial Court sentenced Allgair to four years in prison and 10 years probation as a sex offender.

If he had gone to trial, Allgair could have received a maximum of 10 years in prison for each of the first-degree felony charges.

Clean-shaven and wearing a suit, unrecognizable from the mugshot taken of him at his arrest, Allgair agreed to turn himself in on Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. at Orient Road Jail to begin his prison sentence. If he fails to turn himself in, Goudie said the sentence will be set aside and Allgair could receive up to 30 years in prison.

Allgair was arrested on June 6, 2020, at his home in the 16000 block of Grantham Place in New Tampa and charged with 30 counts of engaging in sexual conduct with a 17-year-old student.

According to Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies, between October 2017 and May 2018, Allgair sexually abused the student both at the high school at 5575 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road and off campus.

Sheriff Chad Chronister described Allgair's actions as not only a heinous crime against a young, impressionable girl, but a betrayal of the community.

"The care and protection of young students is a teacher's duty. Jason Allgair's actions violated the trust of not only one student, but also the parents, school faculty and community that entrusted him with their children," he said, commending the student for her bravery in coming forward.

Following the sentencing, the now 19-year-old student told the judge why she decided to come forward.

The student said Allgair befriended her when she was 16 years old, at a time when she was already depressed and vulnerable due to a traumatic high school bullying event.

"He befriended me as a Christian mentor and then isolated me," she said. "He said he was my only real friend and said he was the only one who understood me. I had no choice but to go along with this narrative. I was afraid of him."

"Oftentimes, he intimidated me by stalking me both during and after school. He would follow me home almost every day in his car. He would drive past my house at night and say he could see me through my window even though I was hiding. He would take pictures of me during exams and tests and send them to me. He followed me everywhere, and I'm haunted every night and every day by flashbacks and nightmares of him," she said.

"Somehow, Mr. Allgair caused me every type of pain. The spiritual pain is often the hardest for me to bear and understand. He forced me to read Bible verses to him, and then he would rape me afterward," she said. "Whenever I cried to him about the pain, he would yell at me and curse at me and say I was ungrateful for him. He slammed me onto cold, dirty floors, and he laughed at my suffering and smiled when I cried out in pain."

The student, whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy, said she suffers from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Because of the perpetrator's crimes, my life has forever been altered. My hope has been obliterated, my identity shattered, and the entire foundation for my life has crumbled down," she said.

Nevertheless, she said she decided to share her story in the hopes of giving other abused girls the courage to come forward.

"Even though I may seem like just a number and my voice another voice, I believe my story, my experience, can be useful to not just the court but to society as a whole," she said.

"When I reported him, my goal was to protect other young women," she told the judge. "That was my motivation. I hope to inspire many to fight back against people like him. We need societal change or else there is no hope for our future."

A number of students who were in Allgair's band at Steinbrenner and their parents watched the Zoom sentencing hearing Tuesday. One parent said she was horrified when the student described the extent of the abuse the girl suffered.

"It really is heartbreaking," said the parent who asked that her name not be used. "And it happened under everybody’s noses because he was quite the master manipulator. Our band community was really rocked to its core."

Goudie told the former student that any victim who comes before her in court, whether it's the victim of a petty theft or the family of someone who's been murdered, is never just a number to her.

"What I don't want you to do is give up hope," Goudie told her, commending her on the courage and strength she showed in giving her statement as Allgair watched. "That's one of the worst things we can take away from a human."

She added that Allgair's punishment will last far beyond his four-year prison sentence.

"For the rest of his life, he's going to be a leper in our society. He's going to have to register as a sexual offender and everyone is going to know who he is," Goudie said. "He's going to live with this until the day he takes his last breath."

See related story: Steinbrenner Band Teacher Accused Of Sex With Student Out On Bond