Whitney Institute will not renew the contract of a teacher accused of committing sexual offences against female students, The Royal Gazette has learned.

And the teacher's lawyer has complained that his client will be without a job by the time his case goes to trial next month.

The teacher, whose trial was scheduled to get underway in Magistrates' Court yesterday, is charged with intruding upon the privacy of five girls in such a manner that was likely to insult, alarm or offend them and did so.

Three of the girls, who alleged their privacy was intruded upon between September 1, 1995 and December 31, 1996 are now teenagers -- two aged 15, the other 14. The other two females, now 18 and 24, alleged that similar incidents occurred between January 1995 and June, 1996 and September, 1988 and April, 1990.

The 46-year-old man is also charged with unlawfully and indecently assaulting the 24-year-old between September, 1988 and April 1990, and sexually assaulting one of the 15 year olds between September and December of last year.

The case was adjourned yesterday because nine of the 13 prosecution witnesses were off the Island.

And the man's lawyer Richard Hector told The Royal Gazette he strongly objected to the adjournment.

Mr. Hector, who has fired off a letter to Magistrate Edward King expressing his concerns about the delay of the trial, said the witnesses in the case should have known whether or not they would be in Bermuda at the time of the case.

It was not fair to his client for the Crown to ask for an adjournment a week before the trial was due to start, he said, adding that it was set down three months ago.

"I made a very serious objection to the application (by the Crown on July 29) for adjournment because this case has been dragging on for sometime. But the Judge went along with it,'' Mr. Hector said. "My client is on suspension from his job and at the end of the school year he will be without a job.'' The teacher was receiving full pay when the allegations were initially reported.

But his salary was reduced to half pay when he was formally charged in May of this year.

When contacted yesterday, Chief Education Officer Joseph Christopher would only confirm that the man remained on suspension with half pay.

He referred further inquiries to Whitney.

Whitney's principal Gail Graham said the suspended teacher's contract was due to end on August 31 and would not be renewed with the school.

However, she said she had no idea about the man's future as a teacher.

Meanwhile, Crown counsel Leslie Basden said the adjournment of the trial was a "very short'' one.

She declined any further comment on the matter, saying she did not want to prejudice the case which has been set down for trial on September 8 and 9.