17 Aug 2020

Former teacher found guilty of five charges of indecent acts on boys

11:57 am on 17 August 2020

A jury has found a former Auckland schoolteacher accused of abusing six teenage boys guilty of half the charges he faced.

Former Auckland high school teacher Benjy Swann has appeared in the Auckland High Court and is accused of doing indecent acts on boys.

Benjamin Swann was found guilty of five charges of doing an indecent act on a young person. He had denied all 10 charges. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook

Benjamin Swann, 56, had pleaded not guilty to 10 charges of doing an indecent act on a young person.

In the High Court in Auckland this morning the jury found Swann guilty of five of the charges, but was unable to reach a verdict on the other five.

The jury had retired a week ago to consider its verdicts.

The trial is one of a limited number allowed to resume this week under alert level 3, as it had reached the deliberation stage.