Former Wyong Christian Community School teacher Michael James Chown pleads not guilty to child sex abuse

A Central Coast teacher has pleaded not guilty to sexually abusing two separate girls a decade apart.

Michael Chown leaving Wyong Local Court where he is facing two historical allegations of sexual touching and indecent assault. Picture: NewsLocal

A former technical and applied studies teacher from the Central Coast has pleaded not guilty to sexually and indecently touching two separate girls 10 years apart.

Michael James Chown, of Woongarrah, faced Wyong Local Court on Tuesday where his solicitor entered not guilty pleas on his behalf.

Charge sheets tendered to court allege Mr Chown aggravatedly touched a girl, aged under 16, without consent some time between April and June 2021 on the Central Coast.

The charge sheets also allege Mr Chown aggravatedly indecently assaulted another girl, also aged under 16, some time in 2011 at Orange in regional NSW.

The 42-year-old, who taught at Wyong Christian Community School until early last year, was excused from attending court but appeared in person anyway along with two support people.

Former Wyong Christian College teacher Michael Chown has been charged with two alleged sexual touching/indecent assault offences. Picture: Wyong Christian Community school/Facebook

The court heard the case would take an estimated two or three days, meaning it could not be held at Wyong Court.

Wyong is one of the busiest regional courts in the state and can only hear contested matters with an estimated duration of a day or less.

Mr Chown was a teacher at Wyong Christian Community school until last year.

At Mr Chown’s first appearance in April the court heard police had served a “650-page brief” of evidence with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and the matter was classified as “reasonably complex” with at least one “historical” allegation.

Magistrate Robyn Richardson set the matter down for a three-day hearing at Toronto Local Court from December 11-13 but ordered the parties attend a “readiness check” at Wyong on November 5.

Ms Richardson instructed the parties to “narrow” the issues in contention as much as possible and come ready to explain why the hearing was expected to take as much as three days.