Keith Bates-Willie: Former Hobart teacher denies 14 sex abuse charges
A retired Hobart drama teacher charged with multiple counts of historical child sexual abuse has denied exploiting his position of authority to grope male students at will over a decades-long career.
A retired Hobart drama teacher charged with multiple counts of historical child sexual abuse has denied exploiting his position of authority to grope male students at will over a decades-long career.
Keith Athol Bates-Willie, 71, has pleaded not guilty to 14 charges – including rape, indecent assault, and the persistent sexual abuse of a child – allegedly committed against nine different complainants from the late 1970s to the mid-2000s.
During his second day in the witness box on Wednesday, Mr Bates-Willie was asked about allegations made by several complainants that he would regularly touch students inappropriately during breathing classes, at play rehearsals, and in school corridors.
“From Rosetta to Kinsgton to Rosny, whenever you got the chance to grab these boys on the testicles or the penis, that’s what you would do, wouldn’t you Mr Bates?” asked Crown prosecutor Jack Shapiro.
“No, I did not,” Mr Bates-Willie replied.
The defendant denied ever initiating conversations with young pupils about matters relating to personal development or romantic relationships, or providing students with sexually-charged nicknames.
The experienced theatre director also rejected Mr Shapiro’s claims he had spent the years since being charged in 2022 rehearsing his eventual responses in the witness stand.
“Sir, I am not an actor,” Mr Bates-Willie told the prosecutor.
The trial, before Justice Stephen Estcourt, continues.
Ex-teacher takes stand, denies sexually abusing students
Tuesday, August 5: A former Hobart high school teacher accused of multiple counts of sexual abuse throughout an alleged 25-year window of offending has taken the witness stand in the Supreme Court to deny ever inappropriately touching a student.
Keith Athol Bates-Willie, 71, has pleaded not guilty to 14 charges – including rape, indecent assault, and the persistent sexual abuse of a child – allegedly committed against nine different males from the late 1970s to the mid-2000s.
Following nearly two weeks of Crown evidence which included at-times emotional testimony from complainants, Mr Bates-Willie was sworn on Tuesday to face questions about his years teaching at Rosetta High School, Kingston High School and Rosny College.
The defendant told the court that his status as a gay man was well known throughout the schools he taught at, and said he departed Kingston High on mental health leave after a student attempted to make an audio recording of him “saying something untoward”, before spreading the information around campus.
Mr Bates-Willie said he left his role at Rosetta High after going on long-service leave, and, after teaching at Rosny College and Elizabeth College, retired aged 55 years in a “burnt out” state.
The defendant said he had been the subject of multiple rumours during his time as a teacher, indicating many of them related to his sexuality.
“I’m a gay man,” Mr Bates-Willie said
“[But] I never actually stood up in a class … and announced I was a gay man — my reputation seemed to precede me.”
Mr Bates-Willie agreed he had allowed Rosetta High students to congregate in the music rooms during recess and lunch/times, saying that after his own bullying experiences at school, he wanted to create a “safe space” for those being marginalised.
The defendant said he had sometimes engaged students in conversation during such periods, but denied ever raising sex-related topics with pupils.
“Conversations were wide and varied, so conversations of sexuality did come up,” Mr Bates-Willie said.
“It was of their own volition.”
The defendant agreed he had given students lifts home on occasion, but denied ever touching a passenger, or parking his car to engage in sexual activity with one particular complainant.
Mr Bates-Willie also rejected a claim that he had sexually assaulted a student inside a Rosetta High photography dark room.
“No that did not happen,” the defendant said.
“It would be foolhardy for some to try that in an area which could be burst into within three seconds.”
Mr Bates-Willie denied having regularly hosted underage students at boozy dinner parties at his home after theatre rehearsals, saying he generally avoided social interactions involving large numbers of people, and was generally too exhausted for socialising following a long day of teaching and directing.
“This insinuation that there were dinner parties held every night is just ludicrous,” the defendant said.
In relation to complainant evidence given earlier in the trial, Mr Bates-Willie denied any student had ever taken a shower at his house; that he had groped one complaint inside a Hobart costume storeroom; or that he sexually assaulted an underage boy in a spa bath during a trip to South Australia.
Mr Bates-Willie admitted he had had sexual relations with one complainant, but that the interactions had occurred once the man was in his early 20s.
The trial, before Justice Stephen Estcourt, continues.
Originally published as Keith Bates-Willie: Former Hobart teacher denies 14 sex abuse charges
