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Allegations
of Sexual Abuse |
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A 48-year-old teacher
with a penchant for drawing smiley faces and hosting "mat time" for
pre-schoolers took the witness box yesterday afternoon to deny allegations he
indecently assaulted four of his pupils. Michael Warren Neville,
of Levin, faces four charges of indecent assault on girls under 12 between
1999 and 2003. He is defending the charges. After much of the day
was lost in legal argument, Neville began giving evidence to a Palmerston
North District Court jury about 4pm. The name of the school at which he
taught is suppressed. The father of three
adult children, who is a former motorcycle mechanic, told the court he was
"absolutely overwhelmed" when the charges were laid against him.
"I just couldn't believe that this sort of thing could happen to
me." He also spoke of how he
came to the teaching profession after he was seen to have a way with the
children at a Feilding kindergarten. He has also spent time teaching mechanics
to He had been employed to
paint the kindergarten at one stage in the early 1990s after the economic
downturn had resulted in redundancy for him. While painting the
building, he had drawn smiley faces on the windows for the children inside.
The teacher had told him that this was distracting the children. The
conversation ended with his being offered the opportunity to care for the
kids during a session called "mat time". His outstanding success
led to the suggestion he become a teacher, the court heard. He subsequently went to
teacher's college, then took up a post at the school where the offending is
alleged to have taken place in 1995. Neville had initially
been suspended when the allegations first appeared, but he won reinstatement
after the teachers' union -- the New Zealand Educational Institute --
disputed the matter. Earlier, in defence
openings, Neville's lawyer Bruce Squire QC urged the jury to listen to
Neville's evidence and that of other defence witnesses, and to remember that
the burden of proving the charges lies always with the Crown. Neville, Mr Squire
said, was an enthusiastic teacher and the charges against him were
"bordering on the ruinous". Neville was to continue
giving evidence today. A total of 16 defence
witness are to be called, meaning the trial will go into next week. It is expected the
trial, presided over by Judge Les Atkins, will finish about Tuesday. |
