FORMER Christ Church music teacher admits molesting multiple young boys because he found them 'appealing' but thought he could keep his urges under control.
Lindsay William Hutchinson, 63, is on trial for committing six counts of carnal knowledge against nature, six counts of indecently dealing with a child, and three counts of unlawful and indecent assualt, for the repeated sexual abuse of a young student, between December 1983 and September 1985 in several places including country hotel rooms, a school music camp and a deanery.
Mr Hutchinson, who was the music director at Claremont's Christ Church Grammar School and organist at St George's Cathedral in the 1980s, has pleaded guilty to some of the charges, but has denied the more serious allegations, including rape.
Other witnesses during the trial have testified about inappropriate sexual touching and behaviour, including having photographs taken of them by Mr Hutchinson for a fake "speedo competition", but the allegations do not form part of the charges Mr Hutchinson is facing.
As the first defence witness in the District Court trial, the former teacher was called to give evidence this afternoon.
Mr Hutchinson told the jury he had worked in various schools in Melbourne, the UK, New Zealand and Perth as a teacher from 1974 to 1996, and all were boys' schools.
He took up a post as music director at Christ Church Grammar School in 1981, and in the several years that followed, was the conductor of the CCGS choir, the St George's Cathedral choir and created another choir, the Ad Hoc Chorale.
Mr Hutchinson told the court that during the first night of a music rehearsal camp in 1984, he went into the victim's dormitory and masturbated him under his pyjamas while standing next to the bunk bed. He said he left the room and came back about 40 minutes later to do the same.
Mr Hutchinson said he then carried the boy up to a staff bedroom and put him on a bed and masturbated the boy again, before carrying him back to his bunk bed.
"He seemed to be asleep," he said.
When defence lawyer Mara Barone put forward allegations of various other sexual acts committed, Mr Hutchinson denied them.
When Ms Barone asked Mr Hutchinson why he touched the boy, he replied: "I found him sexually appealing".
He admitted to masturbating the boy again the second night of the camp, but denied doing any other sexual acts.
Mr Hutchinson also admitted to touching the victim and another young boy during a sleepover at the St George's deanery.
He also said it was correct that the victim stayed over one night at his home, while his wife and child were there, but denied anything happened that night.
During a trip to a country town, Mr Hutchinson said he also touched the victim when he thought he was asleep.
He admitted to touching the victim and simulating sex with him during a choir trip to York in the mid-1980s.
"I just wanted to experiment with the sensation," he told the court.
Allegations of various sexual acts with his victims were put to Mr Hutchinson in the witness stand, but he denied all of them, saying he had masturbated the boys and simulated sex with one, but nothing more.
Ms Barone put allegations to Mr Hutchinson from a victim from the late-1970s who also claimed he was touched and was photographed in swimwear for a fake photo competition.
"That's correct," Mr Hutchinson told the court.
"He was a keen sportsman, he had a good physique. I was attracted to him."
He said he made up the story about a photo competition to lend the activity some "credibility", and also took photos of a couple of other boys.
He also admitted to touching a boy on the inner thigh during a trip to Tasmania and touching a youth's genitals on several occasions while driving him in his car.
Under cross-examination from prosecutor David Davidson, the former teacher said he first realised he was sexually attracted to young boys in the early 1970s at the first school he taught.
He agreed masturbating a child was inappropriate, but said he did not seek help because he thought his urges were controllable.
The cross-examination of Mr Hutchinson will continue before Judge Patrick O'Neal tomorrow.
As reported in The Sunday Times, a former Christ Church Grammar School student last week told the court he had been sexually abused by Mr Hutchinson and had told the school's chaplain and director of ethics Frank Sheehan.
The former student alleged Canon Sheehan told him to "forget about it and put it behind me and ... that I need to get on with my life".
Mr Sheehan is expected to be called as a defence witness later this week.
