Posted on: October 17, 2024, 12:56h.
Last updated on: October 17, 2024, 01:12h.
The trial of a teacher accused of running an in-class gambling syndicate and of indecently assaulting two female students was halted this week after the presiding judge was allegedly overheard saying he “could not wait for the matter to be over and to find the accused guilty.”
Phil Saunders, from Wollongong, Australia, pleaded not guilty to turning his classroom into a gambling den, two counts of aggravated indecent assault of a person under his authority, and two counts of indecent assault of a person under 16. The trial has stretched on for two years.
On Tuesday, Magistrate Michael Ong recused himself from the case because of the unguarded comment he allegedly made to a prosecutor who was uninvolved in the trial, The Illawarra Mercury reports.
Ong denied making the remark, which an officer of the court claimed he overheard, but acknowledged that to continue would foster a perception of bias and potential prejudgement of the outcome.
Worst Teacher Ever?
Earlier in the trial, the court heard that Saunders, a personal development, health, and physical education teacher at Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts, would collect bets from his 16-year-old students to place on English Premier League matches.
The majority of his lessons were spent on the betting syndicate rather than teaching, according to students.
Saunders would write up odds and keep tallies of results on the classroom whiteboard, witnesses testified, collecting $2 bets from students. He would also spend lessons watching horse racing on his laptop, according to prosecutors.
He is also accused of committing “brazen” and “severe” indecent assault on young girls, according to prosecutors.
On one occasion, he ran his hand down the back of one of his students and touched her bottom, an act that occurred “in plain sight” of her friend, according to prosecutors.
Another student said in a statement that whenever she spoke with Saunders, “I had my back close to the wall so he could not touch my bottom.”
Saunders also allegedly enjoined another female student to “come sit on daddy’s lap.”
Intimidation Charge
The physical education teacher is facing an additional charge of intimidation after an alleged “tirade” in February 2021 that left a fellow teacher shaken and in tears.
Saunders allegedly flew into a rage at languages teacher Sally Johnston after a disagreement about paddleboarding and berated her in front of the class.
I started crying,” Johnston said. “I was in shock, I was upset, a bit angry, but I just felt I’ve never felt like that in all my years of work, as a teacher or anywhere else.”
A new judge is expected to be appointed to the case within 30 days.
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