http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4738142a19718.html

Southland Times
October 24 2008

Games had no sex elements says teacher

An Invercargill schoolteacher accused of doing indecent acts on two former pupils admitted playing a hide and seek game and wrestling with one of the boys, but denied that anything sexual happened, a jury was told yesterday.

Paul Alexander Conner, 42, is on trial in the Invercargill District Court on 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.

However, Judge Kevin Phillips told jury members yesterday they no longer had to issue a verdict on one of the indecency charges because the Crown had insufficient evidence on that charge.

Conner remains accused of four indecent act charges, one against one boy and three against the other.

The Crown alleges Conner played a slavery-type game involving hide and seek, toy guns and rope with the boys at his Bainfield Rd property near Invercargill. When Conner found one of the boys, he would loosely tie them up, touch their private parts over their clothes when frisking them for weapons, lay them down on a mat and rub up against them, the Crown alleges.

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.

Rope was used to slide in and out of the hands but not to tie anyone up, he said.

He had never had sexual thoughts about children or inappropriately touched children before, Conner said in the interview.

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's private life came under scrutiny in the police interview.

During the interview, Mr Baird noted Conner was not married and asked him his sexual orientation.

"I am not gay if that's what you are asking," Conner replied.

"I have always believed sex was something you do after you have married and that is my belief."

During the past 16 to 18 years he had invited about eight to 10 pupils from his school, including the two boys at the centre of the allegations, to his Bainfield Rd farm to do some work and help with his greyhounds during the school holidays, he said during the interview.

Sometimes he invited kids with behavioural issues as a way of helping them by giving them some work and paying them for it, he said.

Mr Baird asked Conner why the two boys would have made the allegations. Conner replied he had "run ins" with both of the boys at New River Primary School but did not know why they would accuse him of such things.

"I have always been a person that's tried to help children."

Conner took the witness stand when his lawyer Philip McDonald opened the defence case.

Conner will resume his testimony this morning.