Ex-Wests Tigers player-turned-primary teacher Keith Eshman found not guilty of raping child

A primary teacher who played one game for the Wests Tigers in the NRL as a teenager has been found not guilty of raping a little girl with a jury unable to reach a verdict on a charge of sexually touching a child.

Keith Eshman leaving Wollongong District Court during his trial. Picture: Dylan Arvela

A primary teacher who played a single game for the Wests Tigers in the NRL as a teenager has been found not guilty of raping a little girl.

Keith William Eshman, 37, faced a week-long trial at Wollongong District Court after pleading not guilty to three counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 and two counts of sexually touching a child under 10.

The jury took about 10 hours to find Eshman not guilty of the three counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 and one count of sexually touching a child under 10.

The trial heard the allegations Eshman was found not guilty of including the defendant digitally penetrating and licking inside the little girl’s vagina on different occasions.

The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the second count of sexually touching a child even after a further three hours of deliberations.

The allegation associated with this charge, the court heard, involved Eshman grabbing the girl’s hand and forcing her to rub his crotch.

The court heard Eshman give evidence during the trial denying this incident ever took place.

The jury was discharged shortly after 4pm on Wednesday after they reached the hung decision on the fifth charge.

Eshman was acquitted of the four charges he was found not guilty of while the Director of Public Prosecutions may opt to retry Eshman on the fifth charge with the matter to be mentioned later this month.

Keith Eshman was contracted to the Wests Tigers as a teenager.

During the trial, the court heard police seized Eshman’s iPhone and MacBook. A data download of his devices uncovered a string of searches including inquiries about whether young girls can orgasm and the definition of pedophilia.

In her closing submissions on Monday, Crown prosecutor Nerissa Keay said the searches indicated Eshman was “sexually interested” in minors and not, as the defendant said, an effort to understand child sexual behaviour out of concern for the victim touching herself in class.

“Whether a young girl can orgasm has nothing to do with whether a child touching themselves is normal behaviour or a sign of abuse,”

Ms Keay said.

Defence barrister Brendan Green argued the “concepts (the searches) could be very well connected” to Eshman being concerned about the complainant touching herself.

Keith Eshman was acquitted of four charges on Wednesday. Picture: Dylan Arvela

Mr Green also submitted it was the accused who alerted a senior colleague and the complainant’s mother about the girl touching herself shortly before the searches were made.

“Why would he draw attention to [the senior colleague] or [the complainant’s] mother about concerning aspects of [the complainant’s] behaviour?” Mr Green said.

The trial also heard Eshman was called “Brother Martin’s Prodigy” in a Facebook group chat after a former teacher charged with child sex offences.

In the chat Eshman said he made a “silly joke” while he was overseeing students doing arts and crafts.

“One of my friends, Dave, a member of the group, sent a photo of an older lady with large breasts saying I don’t follow this lady anymore on Instagram,” Eshman said.

“I made a silly joke ‘onto this new thing (called) pedos for life’. Mad page.”

Mr Green submitted there was “no evidence” Eshman accessed such a page with it a “throwaway line” which was “consistent of schoolboy-type humour Mr Eshman engaged in with school friends from his childhood”.

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