Otago Daily Times
October 24 2008

Teacher denies sexual connotations in games with boys
NZPA

An Invercargill schoolteacher has denied doing indecent acts with two former pupils.

In a videotaped interview played to a jury at Invercargill Dsitrict Court yesterday, Paul Alexander Conner said he had played a hide and seek game and wrestling with one of the boys, but nothing sexual happened.

Conner, 22, has pleaded not guilty to one charge of doing an indecent act on an 11-year-old boy and four charges of doing indecent acts on another boy aged between 11 and 13.

Crown prosecutor Bill Dawkins earlier told the court Conner taught both the boys at New River School and asked them, at different times, to go to his farm to help him work his greyhounds.

He said Conner, a teacher for 22 years, played hide and seek with one of the boys, leading to him tying up the boy loosely before lying on him and rubbing up against him.

The boy also complained that Conner pretended to frisk him and touching his private parts and bottom over his clothes.

The boy described what happened as "like a slavery game" .

Mr Dawkins said the second boy had also described going to Conner's farm and playing a similar game.

Conner said in a videotaped interview with Detective Greg Baird, played to the jury yesterday, that he had played a hide and seek game with toy guns but it was just a bit of fun.

He denied it had any slavery or sexual connotations.

When asked if his behaviour could have been misinterpreted in any way, he said he had once wrestled one of the boys but it had not involved anything sexual.

"I am very aware of those sorts of things. Always teachers are targets for those sorts of accusations, such as the situation I am in now."

Conner took the witness stand when his lawyer Philip McDonald opened the defence case and was to resume his testimony this morning.