The Crown has elected to re-try a former Auckland school teacher on indecency charges after his first trial ended with the jury unable to come to a verdict.
Former Auckland high school teacher Benjamin Christopher Missi Swann. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook
Benjamin Swann, 55, faces 11 charges of an indecent act on a young person, relating to seven boys.
His first trial ended last month with a hung jury on all charges after the jury deliberated for three full days.
The Crown alleges Mr Swann touched the genitals of the underage boys. The prosecutor said during the trial that their accounts were too similar to be a coincidence, and that the alleged acts all followed a similar pattern.
During the trial, Defence lawyer Sam Wimsett said the allegations were untrue and a nightmare for Mr Swann, who had been a dedicated and respected school teacher for over 30 years.
Mr Swann is on bail until his second trial in August next year in the High Court in Auckland.
