School wants teacher accused of indecent assault named

The North Shore primary school at which a teacher has been accused of indecent assault will apply to have the man's name suppression lifted.

The school's lawyer, Tim Allan, told the Sunday Star Times the interim suppression order cast unfair suspicion on other "great, hardworking male teachers".

"Without wanting to be critical of the judge... it's put the school in a very difficult position."

The middle-aged teacher has been charged with indecent assault, paying to perform sex acts on two boys and arranging for them to travel with him with the intention of committing an indecent act.

He is alleged to have begun separate relationships with the boys over four years from September 2005 while they were aged between 12 and 16.

Blogger Cameron Slater, who is campaigning against the way name suppression is used and faces five charges of breaching suppression orders, told Newstalk ZB he had been fielding calls from concerned parents asking who the teacher was and which school he taught at.

He said some parents were afraid to send their children to school.

The teacher is due to reappear in North Short District Court next month.

- NZPA