By Heather McNeill and Louise Rennie
A former drama teacher at Penrhos College has been found guilty of molesting five of his students in the 1980s.
It took the jury nearly four hours on Thursday to reach the decision that Jay Walsh, 75, had groomed the teenagers and had an intimate relationship with two of them.
Former teacher Jay Walsh.Credit: ABC
Walsh put his head down and closed his eyes as the guilty verdict was read out.
Walsh pleaded not guilty to the 23 charges against him, with his lawyer Judith Fordham claiming in her opening address that he was “not an evil predator” and urging the jury to be sceptical about the case.
One of his accusers testified she was sexually abused by Walsh when she was in Year 10 and Year 11.
The woman, who cannot be named, recalled being in a play Walsh was directing when the alleged abuse began.
She claimed Walsh spanked her and placed his hand down her pants before his offending escalated to kissing and groping.
On one occasion she recalled how she and the teacher were caught by another student kissing in a cupboard on school grounds.
Asked if she wanted to kiss Walsh, she claimed she was compliant and felt embarrassed by the interactions.
“I was scared of him. I didn’t want to make him angry,” she said.
“I did not think I would be believed … my word against a teacher, it just wasn’t going to happen.
State prosecutor Kim Jennings alleged Walsh was abusing students for six out of the seven years he worked at the prestigious all-girls school.
The girls were aged between 13 and 16, with two alleging Walsh had sex with them on various occasions including in his car, his flat and at a motel.
Jennings alleged it was irrelevant whether the teens consented to the sexual activity or not as Walsh was their teacher at the time.
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.