The prosecutor demanded a ten year imprisonment sentence for the former teacher charged with sexual assault in relation to a minor. He is accused of raping several teenage boys. At the time, the victims were aged between 15 and 17 years old.
Upon contacting a gay dating site, the former teacher had sent messages with sexual connotations. All were pornographic in nature, many were violent and some were perhaps even contrary to human dignity, said the prosecutor. The defendant was looking for young men under the age of 18, especially young people between the ages of 16 and 17. There were 14 victims in total, one of whom could not be identified.
The suicide of one underage victim in June this year was indirectly attributable to the defendant, the prosecutor told the court. The young man had told the suspended teacher that he was no longer to contact him. At this, the mother of the victim in question could not contain her emotion and had to leave the room again, after breaking down at the initial mention of her son on Tuesday.
Although the defendant expressed regret for his actions in court, the prosecutor felt this was merely lip service, as the accused was more apologetic for his own situation than those of the victims. For this reason, the prosecutor recommended a ten-year prison sentence.
The defendant's lawyer claimed his client had expressed regret and should benefit from mitigating circumstances, pleading for a suspended sentence.
The verdict is expected on 15 January.
Sexually assaulting minors: Deceased victim's mother breaks down after defendant claims he was 'devastated' at the news of suicide
In court: Former teacher prosecuted for sexually assaulting minors
