‘Sickened’: Dad describes initial response to daughter’s sex abuse claim

A father has described hearing for the first time his daughter’s claim she was sexually touched by her swimming teacher.

A father has told a court his initial disbelief after his daughter claimed her swimming teacher had touched her in an inappropriate manner despite feeling “sickened”.

The girl was one of nine alleged victims of former swimming teacher Kyle Daniels, who is standing trial over 21 charges relating to sexually touching his students at Mosman Swim Centre on Sydney’s north shore between 2018 and 2019.

Mr Daniels pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

On Wednesday, the court was told one of the girls – who was eight years old at the time – was acting out of character following her lesson with Mr Daniels.

A father of one of the alleged victims of former swimming teacher Kyle Daniels said he was ‘sickened’ and in disbelief over his daughter’s claim. Picture: Gaye Gerard / NCA NewsWire

Her father described the girl as “generally enthusiastic” but said on this occasion she was unusually reserved.

“I pressed her to say thank you to the teacher which she eventually did,” the father said.

“During the walk back to the car I asked if she liked her new swimming teacher. She was noncommittal and made a bit of a face so I left it.”

That evening the girl handed her parents a note that said, “The reason I didn’t like my swimming lesson was because my teacher touched my (blank).”

The girl’s mother inquired with her daughter what was meant by the last word, which was left blank, and later told police she believed it to mean her private parts.

Her father said he initially didn’t want to believe what was written in the note was true.

“I was a bit sickened by it to be honest, but I also wanted to believe it was a mistake,” he told the court.

“We didn’t want to make too big of a thing.”

Ultimately, the couple opted only to remove their daughter from Mr Daniels’ class, but at that stage took no further action.

The couple’s younger daughter would later come forward with similar allegations about being sexually touched by Mr Daniels, prompting them to make a complaint to the swim centre.

Mr Daniels is standing trial over 21 charges relating to sexually touching underage girls in his swimming classes. Picture: Gaye Gerard / NCA Newswire

Mr Daniels is charged with five counts of sexual intercourse with a child aged under 10, eight counts of sexual touching of a child and eight counts of indecent assault, including two considered alternative charges.

Earlier in the trial, the court was told another parent had raised the issue of Mr Daniels’ questionable behaviour around the end of July 2018 – several months prior to the other girl writing her note.

The parent was quoted by Crown prosecutor Tony McCarthy as saying, “I’m not accusing him of anything, I just wanted to raise some red flags.

“I don’t want him to lose his job over this. I don’t know if it was accidental.”

Mr Daniels was then observed by venue managers as he taught one of his swimming classes and found to be “too hands on, too close-contact” and “overly energetic and frantic with the children”.

The court was told that he was told by venue staff to change his behaviour and to only hold the children “appropriately”.

The trial continues.