http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/southlandtimes/4742138a26589.html

The Southland Times
October 29 2008

Accused teacher acted as if naive in interview with police, court told

A 42-year-old Invercargill school teacher accused of doing indecent acts on two former pupils did not know what the missionary position was, a jury was told yesterday.

Paul Alexander Conner is on trial in the Invercargill District Court on one charge of doing an indecent act on an 11-year-old boy and three charges of doing indecent acts on another boy when he was aged between 11 and 13. Both were taught by Conner at New River Primary School.

In cross-examination yesterday, Crown prosecutor Bill Dawkins accused Conner of "pretending to be naive" when he told a police detective he did not know what the missionary position was.

Conner said Mr Dawkins was incorrect.

"I have never been in that position you have described."

Conner had said earlier in the trial his belief was sex was something that was done after marriage.

He had said during the trial he was not attracted to men or children in a sexual way.

Mr Dawkins yesterday accused Conner of being sexually attracted to the two boys, and despite being a teacher of 22 years and knowing the boundaries, he "couldn't help himself" when offending against them.

Conner said he didn't cross any boundaries and Mr Dawkins' comments were a load of rubbish.

The Crown alleges Conner played a slavery-type game involving toy guns with the boys at different times on his farm. During the game the Crown alleges Conner touched their private parts over their clothes while frisking them for weapons, led them to a barn while they were loosely tied up and rubbed himself against them while they lay in the barn.

Conner had admitted playing a game with toy guns in which he sometimes led the boys to the barn with collars loosely draped over their wrists so they could not reach for another gun. But he has denied any slavery connotations to the game, inappropriate touching or rubbing against the boys.

Mr Dawkins asked Conner if he thought it was risky to put the boys in ropes, which Conner had described as handcuffs, and lead them to a barn.

Conner said that on reflection it was risky.

Mr Dawkins also suggested to Conner that he surely regarded it as risky to be touching his pupils around the pocket areas of the trousers they were wearing when frisking them for weapons.

Conner agreed, but said he had seen staff teachers in a school situation also touch the pocket areas of pupils.

The trial before Judge Kevin Phillips and a jury enters its seventh day today. The jury is expected to retire to consider its verdict this afternoon or tomorrow.