7 days ago
Jury told they must remain unbiased in trial against former Hobart teacher Keith Bates-Willie
The defence lawyer for a 71-year-old former Hobart teacher and theatre director accused of indecently touching students has told a Supreme Court jury to keep an open mind about his client and remember the accused is a "real person" who has denied any wrongdoing.
WARNING: This story includes descriptions of alleged child sexual abuse, which some readers may find distressing.
The trial for Keith Athol Bates-Willie is continuing in the Supreme Court in Hobart.
Mr Bates has pleaded not guilty to 14 criminal charges, including rape, indecent assault and the persistent sexual abuse of a child.
The charges relate to incidents at three separate Hobart schools between the late 1970s and the early 2000s.
Mr Bates' lawyer, Jessie Sawyer, reminded the jury in her closing submissions on Tuesday that in making their decision of finding Mr Bates guilty or not guilty, they must remain unbiased.
"The state [prosecution] invited you to feel sorry for these witnesses. They said no one listened to them when they tried to complain.
"Regardless of how you feel about any of them, you need to push that to the side.
"Mr Bates is also a person and he said he did not commit these crimes."
Crown prosecutor Jack Shapiro told the jury on Monday, the volume of evidence in the case was "overwhelming".
He urged the jury to consider all of the evidence.
Mr Shapiro alleged Mr Bates put students in skimpy clothing during theatre performances, touched them in dressing rooms and would often grab their genitals.
It is also the crown's case that Mr Bates invited students over to his house for dinner parties, gave them alcohol and asked them to sleep over, where he would indecently touch them.
"There's an overwhelming volume of evidence to prove the accused touched many male students indecently," Mr Shapiro told the court.
"There were 16 different men who came into this court and told you they were touched indecently. It's just an overwhelming number … these witnesses are real people.
"Why would they come into open court and tell you what happened unless it did happen … 16 different men telling you in graphic detail, and becoming upset about being touched."
"Mr Bates had a tendency to touch male students, to groom them … to establish a close relationship," Mr Shapiro told the court.
To this allegation, Ms Sawyer reminded the jury her client has denied any wrongdoing and argued a lot of the evidence heard "couldn't have happened".
"The state has painted Mr Bates as a villain … and says he has a tendency to touch students. This is just denied," she said.
"You can't just apply today's standards to something that happened 40 years ago.
The trial, before Justice Stephen Estcourt, continues.
