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Teacher denies sex assault charges

School teacher denies sex assault charges

A Catholic primary school teacher who allowed teenage boys to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana at his home is facing a District Court trial after denying he sexually assaulted two boys in two different decades spanning back as far as 30 years ago.

Matthew Edward Faulkner is facing a jury trial after pleading not guilty to a total of 11 charges, including aggravated indecent assault, sexual penetration of child aged between 13 and 16 and procuring a child to engage in sexual behaviour.

Opening the State case this morning, prosecutor Mark Nicol told the jury that two offences of indecent dealing were alleged to have been committed against a student in Mr Faulkner's classes at a suburban Perth Catholic school in the early 1980s.

Mr Nicol said the first alleged offence involved touching the boy's buttocks underneath his clothing while the boy was having his work checked in the classroom.

The second offence involved Mr Faulkner instructing the boy to remove his pants while they were alone in a classroom and hitting his bottom with a 1m-long ruler.

Mr Nicol told the Perth jury that the remaining nine charges related to offences allegedly committed against a 14-year-old boy in 1997.

At the time, Mr Faulkner was the head of a primary school at a Catholic school where the teenager also attended high school.

Mr Nicol said the teenager met Mr Faulkner through another boy.

He said Mr Faulkner was accused of committing the offences at his home and and on one occasion in a car.

Opening the defence, lawyer Philip Urquhart said Mr Faulkner denied any of the alleged incidents had happened.

Mr Urquhart said his client admitted teaching the man involved in the first two alleged offences at the primary school.

He also admitted having a party at his home, where teenagers were present, and there was a stripper.

He also allowed teenagers to drink alcohol at his home and on rare occasions use marijuana.

But Mr Urquhart said it was a court of law, not a court of morals, and urged the jury to out aside any prejudices which may arise from evidence which cast Mr Faulkner in an unfavourable light.

The trial continues.