Teacher faces sex and rape charges

A North Shore teacher faces charges of raping and indecently assaulting students.

The man's identity cannot be revealed - even though a lawyer did not seek name suppression in court.

In a rare move, a judge yesterday suppressed the teacher's identity a week after he appeared in court on 10 charges of indecent assault and two of rape.

Judge David Wilson said it "must have been an oversight" by the lawyer not to have asked for name suppression when the teacher appeared in the North Shore District Court last Friday.

"I just think I need to protect the position of the defendant at present because really it's quite remarkable no suppression application was made."

The man no longer works at the school but is understood to have another teaching job.

The rape and sexual violation charges involve girls aged 13 and 14 at the time of the alleged offending. Further charges will be laid when the man appears in court on Monday.

He did not apply for name suppression last Friday but his lawyer made an urgent application yesterday, after learning the Weekend Herald would report the case today.

Lawyer Gary Gotlieb said he was instructed to act for the teacher this week. The man was represented at his first appearance by a solicitor standing in for his lawyer, Shane Tait, who made no application for name suppression.

Mr Gotlieb's application for suppression was heard in a telephone conference between Mr Gotlieb, Judge Wilson and the Weekend Herald just after 3.30pm yesterday.

Mr Gotlieb said he was instructed to represent the man this week and the charges were only recently laid. He had no information apart from the police charge sheets.

Judge Wilson suppressed the teacher's name until his appearance on Monday.

It is understood that six of the complainants were his students at the time of the alleged offending. A seventh girl was not a pupil.

The Weekend Herald understands allegations against the teacher arose last September and cover the period from 2002 to 2005. Police were not involved until January this year.

However, the Weekend Herald can name a basketball coach who is accused of indecently assaulting girls at an Auckland high school.

Gwilym Ross Rees Williams, known as Ross Williams, faces four charges of indecent assault on two girls aged 13 and 14. The name of the school was suppressed.

No reporters were present when Williams first appeared in the Auckland District Court last Saturday. The Weekend Herald was in court when he made another appearance on Thursday to plead not guilty. His lawyer did not seek name suppression.

Williams, 68, is a life member of Basketball New Zealand and coached basketball at Avondale College, which the charges do not relate to, before a new coach was appointed in 2003.