A girl says she spoke out about her school teacher touching her because she didn't want it to escalate into something worse and she didn't want it to happen to anyone else.
The teacher, aged in his 50s and who has name suppression, has denied 16 charges of indecent acts on girls in his class.
Giving evidence, in closed court in Auckland today, the girl, one of his former students, said the class was sometimes divided into girls and boys during swimming lessons.
She told the Auckland District Court that on one occasion the teacher told her she had a nice body.
Now a teenager, but nine at the time, the girl said she sat on his lap, and on some occasions the teacher put his hands down her pants.
She said she initially only told her best friend about what happened and said she felt ashamed.
She confirmed to the defendant's lawyer, Stephanie Cowdell, that she knew the case was serious and she was telling the truth.
She said she didn't tell her teacher to stop because she didn't know what to do at the time.
