Christopher Barnes: Guildford West martial arts teacher found guilty of sex offences on students

A jury has found a western Sydney martial arts teacher guilty of carrying out sexual offences involving two boys  he taught at the gym. Warning: Graphic content.

Christopher David Barnes. Picture: Facebook

The jury in a trial for a martial arts teacher Christopher Barnes has found him guilty of carrying out sexual offences on two boys he taught at Fearless Martial Arts Gym at Guildford West, including a boy whose family befriended the instructor.

Barnes, 35, had pleaded not guilty to aggravated sexual intercourse with a child between 10 and 14 years, aggravated intentionally doing a sexual act with a child between 10 and 16 years, intentionally sexually touch child under 10 years and two counts of intentionally sexually touch a child between 10 and 16 years.

He was found guilty of intentionally touch sexually a child under 16 — an alternative charge from aggravated sexual intercourse with a child between 10 and 14 years.

Throughout the two-week trial, the boys gave evidence, along with one of the child’s mothers and staff members of the Fairfield Rd warehouse-style gym.

One of the victims told the court Barnes touched his penis and stuck his finger in his anus.

He told the court how Barnes “kept making excuses to go to the bathroom with me” and “wouldn’t stop asking me” about pubic hair.

Barnes “kept using the excuse of personal growth” when he touched the boy’s penis.

It was the same child whose family once considered Barnes a role model and invited him and his relative to a function in 2019.

Christopher Barnes leaves Parramatta District Court wih his mum at the start of the trial.

During cross examination, the boy’s mother said Barnes was like a “brother to me” and an uncle to her family.

She trusted him so much she was happy to be a character witness for him when another instructor told her about the then allegations from the other boy.

Her child continued attending the gym until she learned “my son was touched by Chris” after he acted strangely at home.

“He was just pulling himself,’’ she told the court.

“It was weird. He stood against the wall and he just started pulling his hair, his face and he just started crying and said ‘You’ll never forgive me, you’ll never forgive me’.’’

The child said it was his fault because Barnes would ask him repetitively to go to the bathroom and he constantly said not but “eventually I gave into him”.

The other boy was kissed by Barnes, who inspected his body after a sunburn, and asked him to keep it a secret.

The court heard how “the boy promised not to tell but he in fact told his father when he was picked up after class”.

“I feel a bit angry about him (Barnes),’’ the boy told the court.

Barnes was refused bail and will be sentenced on December 15.

Jury deliberates in trial of man accused of child sex offences

On Tuesday, Judge Robert Montgomery summarised closing addresses.

The court heard how the two boys gave inconsistent evidence about the offences.

One of the boys said he was taken to a bathroom by Barnes after complaining about sunburn which conflicted with an earlier account given to police.

He also gave varying accounts whether he suffered red marks and whether his underwear and singlet were on or off when he claims Mr Barnes kissed him in the bathroom.

The defence argued it was “unlikely’’ the offences could have taken place in the bathroom because of big groups being present at the gym.

The Crown told the court the boys were experiencing trauma and one of the boy’s family was friends with the accused so he did not initially know how to deal with the allegations.

The defence argued it was “unlikely’’ the offences could have taken place in the bathroom because of big groups being present at the gym.

The Crown told the court “children do what their trainer, the accused, told them” and walking to the bathroom would “not necessarily raise the attention’’ of staff and students.

Judge Montgomery told the court how the defence’s closing address outlined a number of points which challenged the credibility of the students’ evidence.

That included one of the complainant’s testimony about sunburn.

The court heard there were inconsistencies in the other boy’s testimony as to how many times he was touched and his evidence showed “a lack of consistency, in fact, no consistency in evidence”.

Four witnesses told the court they did not see the accused isolate the boy and go into the bathroom.

The defence told the court the complainant did not allege he was penetrated in his first police interview but remembered that in the second interview three months later.

During that period, the defence suggested that he changed his account after his mother met with the Director of Public Prosecutions who discussed dropping the aggravated sexual intercourse charge.

The court heard how the defence urged the jury to reject the mother’s evidence because she would “not be a witness of truth”. During cross examination, the mum denied discussing charges with him in an effort to change his story.

The court heard how a girl was “untruthful” during cross examination when the child said a boy told her the outer door of the male bathroom was locked. However, there was no lock.

In contrast, defence barrister Troy Edwards earlier told the court Mr Barnes’ evidence was “entirely plausible”.

He said he gave to the detective in charge including a list of names and contact numbers for people who might have been present at the time of the alleged incidents.

The court heard that “the last thing the accused would do is give police contacts if he was fearful of what people would say”.

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