A former school teacher has been sentenced over a historic indecent assault. Former Otago Boys’ High School maths teacher David Russell Bond, 69, appeared for sentencing before Judge Michael Turner in the Dunedin District Court on Thursday on a charge of indecent assault. His lawyer, Anne Stevens QC, said her client was no longer a teacher, and no longer had contact with any young people, nor lived in Dunedin. The offending, which dates between 1997 and 1999, was only in a school environment, she said, and any risk factor had been removed by his retirement from teaching some seven years ago. Published in Stuff

He was considered an outstanding teacher, and had been well-regarded in education circles.

Stevens urged the judge not to place her client on the sex offender’s register.

The court heard Bond pleaded guilty to the charge on June 15, 2018, and was remanded in custody for several months.

That later led to Bond being on electronically monitored bail for 14 months, and ‘’he nearly went insane”.

Stevens argued it would be harsh to put Bond back on home detention, and she argued community detention was a more appropriate sentence.

”He has more than served a sentence, in my submission.’’

Judge Turner said Bond’s sexual deviancy remained untreated, and he had a predilection for young teenage males.

The court heard the four incidents of indecent contact occurred while the victim, aged between 13 and 15, was watching basketball.

The experience had left the victim full of anxiety and emotional distress.

Bond already has a 2014 conviction for a historic indecent assault on another former student from a different school.

The court heard the victim would try and leave the school at every chance he got. A promising future in basketball was not pursued as he feared seeing Bond in the gymnasium.

He continued to have counselling.

”I do not wish for people to live a life like I have, not even for a brief moment … I’m tired,” the victim said in his victim impact statement read by the judge.

Turner said repeated assaults against the boy and involved an ”enormous breach of trust”.

His actions against a victim 33 years his junior were ”plainly sexual”.

“This is serious offending.’’

He sentenced Bond to four months’ home detention, and ordered the payment to the victim of $4000, and exercised his discretion to put Bond on the sex offender’s register.

By Hamish McNeilly
Published in Stuff
17 Dec 2020