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Alleged victim gives evidence in Parramatta District Court trial of former teacher Vasilious Kafataris

A former Sydney high school teacher, on trial accused of child sex offences, allegedly struck a teen girl’s buttocks with a bamboo stick and told her it was not his fault if she woke up naked.

Vasilious Kafataris is on trial over alleged child sex offences.
Vasilious Kafataris is on trial over alleged child sex offences.

A former southwest Sydney high school teacher, who allegedly struck a girl’s buttocks with a bamboo stick and spoke of his desire to “f--k” her against a wall, is also accused of telling her it was not his fault if she woke up naked.

A jury heard several comments allegedly made by Vasilious Kafataris, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually touching a person between 17 and 18 under special care.

The 56-year-old has, however, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity, common assault and indecent assault of a person under 16.

The charges relate to three alleged victims, with incidents said to have occurred in southwest Sydney between January 2013 and May 2021.

His trial at Parramatta District Court continued on Thursday, when one complainant’s recorded evidence was played to the court via video link.

Vasilious Kafataris is fighting a string of charges.
Vasilious Kafataris is fighting a string of charges.

During one conversation, Kafataris allegedly told the then-16-year-old “I’ll give you all the alcohol you want” and “if you wake up with no clothes on, that’s not on me”’.

The woman told the court how Kafataris had allegedly tried to organise for her to visit his Bankstown house and encouraged her to lie to her parents about where she was staying.

She said “arrangements were made to attend’’ his home, though she never visited.

She also gave evidence alleging Kafataris was “nasty” to her boyfriend because he was “always jealous’’ of him.

The court heard Kafataris allegedly gave the woman cigarettes and money, and asked her lewd questions about her boyfriend.

“He said ‘tell me how you have sex with him’,’’ she said.

“I said ‘I haven’t had sex before’.’’

The court heard Kafataris advised her to get the boyfriend “really worked up’’ before saying he hated having “blue balls’’.

He also allegedly told her, when she was 15, that he wanted to “bend you up against the wall and f--k you right now” while he snuck the pole up her skirt and struck her backside.

The woman told the court she was nervous so “laughed it off’’.

The defence barrister questioned why the girl never reported the alleged incidents to police or even told her boyfriend or her family about the “grossly sexual” remarks.

She said as a 15-year-old she did not have the confidence to do so or to walk away from him.

“As a child, I don’t really think you get a choice in situations,’’ she said.

Four tendency witnesses also gave evidence in court on Thursday.

One woman told the court Kafataris asked if she was on her period when she was “really upset” and rubbed her lower back when she was under 16.

Kafataris’ barrister, Leslie Nicholls, asked why she had not signed a police statement, to which she replied: “I just didn’t sign it.”

Another witness told the court about a sex dream he had allegedly recounted, in which she wore a “hot red dress” and seduced him before stabbing him in the chest.

Mr Nicholls suggested she made up the story about his client’s dream, but she disagreed.

The jury also heard from a man who alleged Kafataris was sitting in a car with “a few” teenage girls in a carpark in 2005.

When Mr Nicholls asked the witness if he had made a police statement in 2022 about the alleged carpark incident, he said he had not.

Later, he agreed he had given evidence about it in court four months ago.

The trial continues.

Originally published as Alleged victim gives evidence in Parramatta District Court trial of former teacher Vasilious Kafataris

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/nsw/alleged-victim-gives-evidence-in-parramatta-district-court-trial-of-former-teacher-vasilious-kafataris/news-story/e1a54e97ebee569b7dae73fc7db47878