Complainant’s parents tell court how they learnt about Illawarra teacher Keith Eshman’s rape allegations
The parents of a girl at the heart of a primary school rape trial have described the shock they experienced after their daughter allegedly disclosed “secrets”.
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The parents of a girl at the heart of a primary school rape trial have described the shock they experienced after their daughter allegedly disclosed “secrets”.
The testimony was heard in Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday during the second day of 37-year-old Keith William Eshman’s trial.
Eshman, who played one game for the Wests Tigers in the NRL as a teenager, previously pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 and two counts of sexually touching a child under 10.
The full extent of the allegations against Eshman were aired in court on Monday during Crown prosecutor Nerissa Keay’s opening submissions.
Ms Keay told the court the complainant was allegedly sexually abused by Eshman on multiple occasions.
The alleged misconduct included Eshman putting his fingers in the girl’s vagina as well as getting down on all fours and licking inside of it.
The court heard police arrested Eshman and seized his Phone and MacBook with a data download allegedly uncovering a string of searches including inquiries about whether young girls can orgasm and the definition of pedophilia.
On Tuesday, the father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, explained the moment his daughter allegedly told him and her mother how Eshman “touches me”.
“I was in a fair bit of shock,” the man said.
“I said ‘Are you sure?’ because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.”
The court heard the father asked the girl to “show me” at which point she grabbed his hand, put it on his lap and rubbed.
“She didn’t hesitate to do it,” the father said. “It was like she had done it before.”
The girl’s mother from the witness box told the court how her “heart just stopped” when the complainant allegedly said: “Mummy, Mr E and I have a secret.”
“I felt sick,” the mother said.
The parents reported the incident to the school’s deputy principal who also gave evidence in court on Tuesday.
“[The family came in and] I thought it was a playground incident which is the normal sort of thing I deal with,” the deputy said.
“When the parents started talking about the sensitive nature of the situation I was surprised and asked [the complainant] to sit outside.”
The deputy said he made extensive notes of the conversation before asking the girl back into the office and asking her if Eshman had touched her.
“Yes,” the girl said.
The court heard the deputy passed the information on to his principal who had left the school for the day due to a prearranged appointment.
The principal, who was the last person to give evidence on Tuesday, told the court upon speaking with his deputy he reported the matter to the Department of Communities and Justice as per the requirement of his position as a “mandatory reporter”.
The child complainant also gave evidence on Tuesday in a closed court.
The trial before Judge Sharon Harris continues.
Got a court tip? Email dylan.arvela@news.com.au
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