Rape, sexual assault and sexual grooming accused and former teacher Neil le Roux insisted sexual relations between him and two young student teachers was consensual and vehemently denied any sexual contact with a 13-year-old schoolgirl at a top East London school.
Le Roux, 66, took the stand at the start of the defence’s case at the East London Magistrate’s Court yesterday. In a trial that began last year, Le Roux, 66, has been charged with the rape and sexual assault of a 32-year-old student teacher, sexual assault of another student teacher, 29, and sexual assault and sexual grooming of a girl, 13, who was his pupil.
The rape and sexual assault of the teachers allegedly took place on the school grounds in 2015 and 2016, while the sexual assault of the schoolgirl allegedly occurred both in and out of the classroom, including in his car and at the child’s home.
The matter came to light when a teacher saw Le Roux embrace the girl in his classroom following an after-hours extra Afrikaans lesson in 2016. He resigned soon after.
Before Le Roux took the stand, his defence advocate Neil Schoeman moved to discharge counts one and two of rape and sexual assault of one of the teachers who were being mentored by him on the basis that she had not indicated to him or “the outside world” that his sexual advances were unwanted.
State prosecutor Bonginkosi Mafa opposed the application, saying the teacher had perceived Le Roux as a professional mentor and father figure and that when he had placed his hands on her buttocks she had removed them. “She was not a willing party to this and he violated her and this amounts to rape in its entirety.”
Magistrate Ignatius Kitching refused the defence’s application, saying: “There is a case for the accused to answer.”
Seated at the stand due to “a bad knee”, Le Roux, who is a married father of three sons and a daughter and lives in Gonubie, said he prided himself on being a teacher not only of English, science and biblical studies, but also a teacher who developed girls in leadership and independent thinking skills, and who encouraged them to “push the boundaries”.
He said he had invited the 32-year-old student teacher to his classroom after hours – when he provided snacks and champagne – because he wanted to get to know her “outside the confines of the academic world”.
He said he played music on his computer in the darkened classroom and asked her to dance during his “favourite song”. Le Roux admitted to kissing her, but claimed she kissed him back. He then touched her sexually but said this contact was both consensual and reciprocated.
“When we were lying on the floor she at one point said ‘this is not comfortable’,” he said. In another after-hours interaction with the teacher in his classroom, Le Roux said they lay on cushions at the back of the classroom and again insisted the sexual contact was consensual. During her testimony in October last year the teacher testified she had experienced a brain freeze when her mentor touched her inappropriately and had pulled away when he kissed her.
In the case of the second student teacher, Le Roux said he had given her a lift after a Friday night school Valentine’s Day dance and opened a bottle of honey liqueur before he asked how she would feel if he kissed her. He also hugged her on the school grounds. When she told him the following Monday that she had “felt uncomfortable” he told her he was proud of her for speaking her mind.
“Never ever. Ever.” This was Le Roux’s response when Schoeman repeatedly questioned him if his contact with the schoolgirl was at any time sexually inappropriate.
He conceded to kissing her on three occasions between 2014 and 2016, but claimed these were “fatherly” kisses of congratulation and farewell. He denied touching her buttocks, putting his hand on her thigh when giving her lifts home after school and hugging her inappropriately. He said up to 60 girls hugged him good morning at his desk every day and that his hugs with her were “the same”.
He said he only touched her leg in the car to “get her attention when making a point”.
In January the schoolgirl testified that he repeatedly embraced her with his head on her chest and his hands on her buttocks.
Asked about the schoolgirl’s testimony that he had licked her ear while they sat in his car, he said the girl had told him she had heard that people put tongues in other people’s ears.
“So when she was least expecting it I gave her ear a little lick and said ‘now you know what it feels like’.”
He conceded to speaking to the girl about being naked in a sleeping bag with her. “I told her I was prepared to be her safety net and that she could trust me. I said that in any male-female relationship there will be a little bit of sexual tension but that she could trust me implicitly. I used the example that if ever we were on a road trip and ended up in a sleeping bag naked, there would be no sexual contact whatsoever.”
The trial resumes today. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
Ex-teacher on stand on rape charges
Le Roux, 66, took the stand at the start of the defence’s case at the East London Magistrate’s Court yesterday. In a trial that began last year, Le Roux, 66, has been charged with the rape and sexual assault of a 32-year-old student teacher, sexual assault of another student teacher, 29, and sexual assault and sexual grooming of a girl, 13, who was his pupil.
The rape and sexual assault of the teachers allegedly took place on the school grounds in 2015 and 2016, while the sexual assault of the schoolgirl allegedly occurred both in and out of the classroom, including in his car and at the child’s home.
The matter came to light when a teacher saw Le Roux embrace the girl in his classroom following an after-hours extra Afrikaans lesson in 2016. He resigned soon after.
Before Le Roux took the stand, his defence advocate Neil Schoeman moved to discharge counts one and two of rape and sexual assault of one of the teachers who were being mentored by him on the basis that she had not indicated to him or “the outside world” that his sexual advances were unwanted.
State prosecutor Bonginkosi Mafa opposed the application, saying the teacher had perceived Le Roux as a professional mentor and father figure and that when he had placed his hands on her buttocks she had removed them. “She was not a willing party to this and he violated her and this amounts to rape in its entirety.”
Magistrate Ignatius Kitching refused the defence’s application, saying: “There is a case for the accused to answer.”
Seated at the stand due to “a bad knee”, Le Roux, who is a married father of three sons and a daughter and lives in Gonubie, said he prided himself on being a teacher not only of English, science and biblical studies, but also a teacher who developed girls in leadership and independent thinking skills, and who encouraged them to “push the boundaries”.
He said he had invited the 32-year-old student teacher to his classroom after hours – when he provided snacks and champagne – because he wanted to get to know her “outside the confines of the academic world”.
He said he played music on his computer in the darkened classroom and asked her to dance during his “favourite song”. Le Roux admitted to kissing her, but claimed she kissed him back. He then touched her sexually but said this contact was both consensual and reciprocated.
“When we were lying on the floor she at one point said ‘this is not comfortable’,” he said. In another after-hours interaction with the teacher in his classroom, Le Roux said they lay on cushions at the back of the classroom and again insisted the sexual contact was consensual. During her testimony in October last year the teacher testified she had experienced a brain freeze when her mentor touched her inappropriately and had pulled away when he kissed her.
In the case of the second student teacher, Le Roux said he had given her a lift after a Friday night school Valentine’s Day dance and opened a bottle of honey liqueur before he asked how she would feel if he kissed her. He also hugged her on the school grounds. When she told him the following Monday that she had “felt uncomfortable” he told her he was proud of her for speaking her mind.
“Never ever. Ever.” This was Le Roux’s response when Schoeman repeatedly questioned him if his contact with the schoolgirl was at any time sexually inappropriate.
He conceded to kissing her on three occasions between 2014 and 2016, but claimed these were “fatherly” kisses of congratulation and farewell. He denied touching her buttocks, putting his hand on her thigh when giving her lifts home after school and hugging her inappropriately. He said up to 60 girls hugged him good morning at his desk every day and that his hugs with her were “the same”.
He said he only touched her leg in the car to “get her attention when making a point”.
In January the schoolgirl testified that he repeatedly embraced her with his head on her chest and his hands on her buttocks.
Asked about the schoolgirl’s testimony that he had licked her ear while they sat in his car, he said the girl had told him she had heard that people put tongues in other people’s ears.
“So when she was least expecting it I gave her ear a little lick and said ‘now you know what it feels like’.”
He conceded to speaking to the girl about being naked in a sleeping bag with her. “I told her I was prepared to be her safety net and that she could trust me. I said that in any male-female relationship there will be a little bit of sexual tension but that she could trust me implicitly. I used the example that if ever we were on a road trip and ended up in a sleeping bag naked, there would be no sexual contact whatsoever.”
The trial resumes today. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
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