Jury hears final submissions in trial of rape-accused primary teacher Keith Eshman

A jury has retired to consider their verdict in the trial of a primary teacher charged with sexually violating a little girl.

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

A jury has retired to consider their verdict in the trial of a primary teacher charged with sexually violating a little girl.

Keith William 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 trial before Judge Sharon Harris in Wollongong District Court has heard five days of evidence about allegations Eshman, now 37, allegedly touched the complainant on the inside and outside of her underwear.

The court heard Eshman allegedly grabbed the girl’s hand and placed it on his crotch. It is also alleged Eshman got on his hands and knees and licked the girl’s vagina.

During Eshman’s arrest, police seized his 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 described the complainant’s evidence as “appropriate and serious” for a young child.

“[The complainant gave evidence that was] genuine recall of a lived experience for a young girl,” Ms Keay said.

“Nothing about her presentation would make you think she was lying or making it up.”

Keith Eshman played one game for the Wests Tigers in the NRL.

Ms Keay also said the searches indicated Eshman was “sexually interested” in minors and not, as the accused said, an effort to understand child sexual behaviour out of concern for the girl touching herself in class.

“He was sexually interested in young girls and acted on that by sexually touching [the complainant],” Ms Keay said during her closing submissions.

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

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

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.

Keith Eshman leaving Wollongong District Court in 2023. Picture: Dylan Arvela

“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”.

The jury will continue its deliberations on Tuesday.

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