A teacher sexually assaulted an eight-year-old pupil during a lesson, a court was told yesterday.

The trial of the 33 year old, whose name and school cannot be published for legal reasons, began in Magistrates' Court with the victim's mother and the victim giving evidence about the alleged incident which was said to have taken place on January 27.

The mother, who also cannot be named, told the court: “I gave him his bath and asked him ‘how was school today'?”

“He said: ‘Mum, if I tell you something would you tell anyone? My pee-pee is burning.'

“I dried him and then put him to sleep.”

She said she then related the incident to her husband, who told a Policeman and then they went to the school to see the principal.

She also took her son to a doctor for an examination, the court heard.

“My son and I are very close,” she added. “He confides with me on everything.”

Under cross-examination she said: “He was uncomfortable with the teacher in 2003 because of what he did to him.

“He didn't go to school the rest of that week. He was uncomfortable in that class because of what his teacher did to him.”

The eight year old then gave evidence in front of a closed court, with just Crown counsel Anthony Blackman, defence counsel Larry Mussenden, the accused, Acting Senior Magistrate Will Francis and the Royal Gazette present.

“He was talking to some students and then after that he got a chair and came next to me,” the youngster told the court during an uncomfortable 90 minutes of evidence and cross-examination with no family members present.

“After he sat next to me he pulled my penis.”

The pupil said that the teacher was on his right and touched his penis with his left hand on top of his pants.

“When he did that, how did you feel?” asked Mr. Blackman.

“It made me mad,” the youngster responded.

He added that the teacher rolled his eyes after he had touched his penis before getting up and moving away.

He admitted that he didn't tell the principal what had happened because he was “embarrassed”.

In cross-examination, Mr. Mussenden found some inconsistencies in the evidence that was presented to the court and what the youngster had told Police in a video-taped interview.

There was doubt about what the youngster was wearing that day, whether or not he swapped seats with another boy and whether or not he said anything immediately after the incident took place.

The trial continues today.