Former Scouts NZ leader on trial for alleged sexual abuse of boys

The trial of a former Scouts NZ leader has started in the Wellington District Court today. Photo / File

Warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual abuse against young people.

The four-week trial for a former Scouts New Zealand leader charged with sexually violating boys during decades of involvement with the institution has begun this week.

The man, now in his early 70s, is accused of using his power as a leader in the scouting community to sexually abuse young men while on camps and tramps where he encouraged, and rewarded, nudity.

"[He] used his position of trust and responsibility of his scouts to sexually abuse them," Crown Prosecutor Mark Shaw said today in his opening address.

Shaw said the boys would refer to the man with a special nickname, and many saw him as a father figure during his career that spanned well over four decades.

The man's identity has been suppressed by the courts during the trial, that is set down for four weeks in the Wellington District Court before Judge Peter Hobbs.

He faces over 26 charges in relation to alleged offending against six boys between the 1980s and 2010s. Around 16 of those 26 charges involve indecent acts with boys aged 12 to 16.

The Crown alleges the man exposed himself, forced masturbation, and anal and oral sex with scouts while on camps and tramps.

He would encourage nudity on these trips and would reward boys with chocolate for going barefoot during tramps. He would often touch the boys' feet as well.

Extensive and graphic alleged sexual offending was heard by the court this afternoon when the Crown gave their opening remarks, including one complainant who claimed to have been raped by the man on multiple occasions.

He was alleged to have told the boy he was a "cool dude" after forcing the teen to masturbate in front of him.

The Crown said he would go on to victimise the boy for years, using the scout members' social status against him, and telling him "all the cool kids are doing it" before raping him in a tramping hut.

Shaw described one incident from the 1980s in which a group of scouts were encouraged to strip naked with the man and play chase. The game ended with the man allegedly pressing his erect penis against a boy's back.

Former scouts and scout leaders, family members and friends of the complainants, as well as investigating police will be called to give evidence in the trial.

Defence lawyer Mike Antunovic addressed the jury this afternoon, telling them his client was a dedicated member of Scouts for decades, going "beyond the call" of duty.

Antunovic said the case was "extremely complex" and asked the jury to keep an open mind and ensure they listen carefully in the following weeks.

"Please don't make any judgment until you have heard the last piece of evidence," he said.

The trial continues.