Music teacher ‘confused’ when he apologised for alleged in-flight assault

A music teacher has given evidence at his trial, where he stands accused of indecently assaulting a student on an international flight.

A Queensland music teacher has denied indecently touching a student, 17, while on a return flight from Japan with a tour group 11 years ago.

The teacher said he was confused when he apologised to the ex-student when she phoned him eight years later, alleging he had touched her on the leg and moved his hand up further.

The teacher, who is still employed by Education Queensland, had been the girl’s high school instrument teacher in 2010, the year before the independent group trip to Japan.

The alleged victim told Brisbane District Court she was indecently touched by the teacher, who was sitting next to her, after cabin lights dimmed on the Jetstar flight back to Australia.

She said the teacher put his hand on her leg and then under her pants, touching the outside of her vagina, before she moved his hand away and told him to stop.

The man, who cannot be identified to protect the identity of the alleged victim, has pleaded not guilty to two charges alleging he committed an indecent act on a female, without her consent.

The former student made a complaint to police in 2019.

The married father-of-two gave evidence at his Brisbane District Court trial.

When asked by defence counsel Craig Eberhardt QC if he had indecently touched the girl at all on the 2011 trip, attended by students and teachers from various areas, he said “no”.

He told the court he had taught her for half an hour, one day a week, in a group instrument class at a South East Queensland state high school in 2010.

The teacher said he had all his students’ mobile phone numbers, and denied the alleged victim’s claim that she and he had exchanged texts unrelated to school matters.

She told the court she had considered the teacher, who was then 28, to be a friend before the alleged incident on the flight.

The teacher said he could not remember the 2011 flight, including where he was seated, and he denied touching the student or doing anything inappropriate.

He also denied sending the student a text after the trip, saying he did not think they should talk any more because his wife would think it strange that he was texting a teenage girl.

The court heard a recording of a 2019 phone call, secretly taped by police, in which the alleged victim spoke of him touching her leg during the flight, but did not mention him touching the outside of her vagina.

During the call the teacher said he did not remember what she told him, but said: “I’m really sorry if I did anything to hurt you” and also said he was sorry if he “took things too far”.

The teacher today told the court: “I didn’t know what to say at the time. I was very confused.”

Prosecutor Sarah Cartledge put to the teacher that at no point during the “out of the blue” call had he asked the ex-student what she was talking about or objected to what she was saying.

“She was upset. I didn’t want to make her more upset,” he said, admitting he had found what she said to be shocking.

Ms Cartledge said when the woman said she thought they had been friends he told her, during the call, that he thought they were “sort of friends”.

“I was friends with all my students,” the teacher told the court.

Some other teachers who were on the 2011 tour, as part of the music group, also gave evidence for the defence, saying they did not see anyone upset on the flight.

The court heard evidence that students and teachers in the group were expected to wear jeans or long shorts on the flight.

The trial is continuing.