Suspended Loyola College principal Joseph Favrin will fight the charges against him
A suspended principal accused of flashing his genitalia and engaging in sexual activity at a public toilet block in Bundoora will contest the charges.
Police & Courts
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Lawyers for suspended Loyola College principal Joseph Favrin, who is accused of flashing his genitalia at a public toilet block, say he will be fighting a ‘he said, she said’ case.
Mr Favrin, 68, fronted the Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday after pleading not guilty in September to the charges of sexual exposure and sexual activity directed at a person.
Court documents allege the former principal of the Catholic secondary school intentionally exposed his genitalia at the Bundoora Park public toilet block in Melbourne’s northeast on April 1 last year.
They also detail how he allegedly “engaged in sexual activity” that was seen by another person “with the intention (that person) would probably experience fear or distress from seeing the activity”.
But defence lawyer Sophie Parsons told the court her client will fight the two charges at a contested hearing, as this was a “word-on-word” case, otherwise known as a ‘he said, she said’ case.
“The charges are contested. The allegations are denied,” she said.
“It’s a case that’s essentially word-on-word.”
The court heard that a King’s Counsel would be representing Mr Favrin at the contested hearing, who has been “involved in the matter since early on”.
Two “civilian” witnesses and two police officers would be called during the hearing, Ms Parsons told Magistrate Helen Murphy during the contest mention.
Mr Favrin, dressed in a suit with a blue tie, was supported by a woman in court and did not speak during the proceedings.
The Herald Sun last year revealed Mernda Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Team detectives had in April charged Mr Favrin with the offences.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges, which are understood not to involve the Watsonia school, during a brief court appearance in September.
Mr Favrin, who presided at the helm of Loyola College for nearly 15 years, was handed an interim suspension by the teaching regulator in May.
He will return to court in June.
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