Indecency Costs Man Job, House (Press, 18 December 1984)
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Summary: Indecency Costs Man Job, House (Press, 18 December 1984)
A teacher at an exclusive Auckland school was found to have indecently assaulted a 16-year-old boy whom he suspected of burglarising his home. This case was presented in the District Court at Otahuhu, where it was revealed that the teacher, aged 52, had lost his job and the accompanying house due to the incident and faced the possibility of losing a significant portion of his superannuation. The judge, Maxwell, ordered that both the teacher's name and the name of the school be suppressed, arguing that publicity could lead to consequences that outweighed the gravity of the offence. Sergeant George Long detailed that the teacher’s home had been burglarised multiple times between January 1983 and April 1984, leading him to suspect the youth was involved. When they unexpectedly met at a shopping centre, the teacher invited the youth to his home to discuss the burglaries. Once at his residence, the teacher made inappropriate advances, which the youth rebuffed. Counsel for the teacher, Mr Roger Maclaren, highlighted the man's 13 years of service at the school during which he had served as a house master and had no prior allegations of inappropriate behaviour with students. He described the incident as a momentary lapse and argued against a conviction, suggesting that it would severely hinder the teacher's future employment opportunities in education. He further asserted that making the teacher's name public would serve as an undue punishment. However, Judge Maxwell maintained that individuals in positions of trust are held to higher standards by the community and ultimately convicted the teacher, imposing a fine of $750. The judge noted that had the defendant been in a different profession, the offence might not have been viewed with the same seriousness.
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