Guilty verdict in trial of former Hobart teacher Keith Bates-Willie
WARNING: This story includes descriptions of child sexual abuse, which some readers may find distressing.
Keith Athol Bates-Willie was charged with 14 crimes, including aggravated sexual assault, rape, four counts of persistent sexual abuse of a child, and eight charges of indecent assault.
It took the jury less than one day to find Bates guilty of all 14 charges.
The Supreme Court in Hobart heard the abuse happened to a number of students while Mr Bates-Willie was a teacher at three separate southern Tasmanian schools between the late 1970s and the early 2000s — Rosetta High, Kingston High and Rosny College.
During the three-week trial, the court heard from 16 different men who gave evidence about being groped, assaulted, and fondled by Bates during theatre rehearsals, at dinner parties, in costume rooms and while being driven home from school.
It was the Crown's case that Bates had a sexual interest in male students he taught or met at school, and had a tendency to act on that sexual interest and to groom males in order to gain a close relationship with them.
Crown prosecutor Jack Shapiro told the court there were numerous occasions where it was alleged Bates touched the genitals of students.
"He would touch them sexually," Mr Shapiro said.
He also said "Mr Bates wouldn't take no for an answer".
Bates gave evidence during the trial and denied any wrongdoing. He told the court he never inappropriately touched any of his students.
He did admit to having "occasional sex" with at least two students, but said this only happened after they graduated.
"We had occasional sex on a number of occasions," Bates told the court.
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