Ex-dental employee admits indecently assaulting pupils

According to police, Tahal was not directly involved in providing dental treatment but had contact with some of the pupils. Photo / Thinkstock

A former dental service employee has admitted indecently assaulting three girls at schools the service visited.

In the Manukau District Court today, Jitendra Prasad Tahal, 56, of Auckland, entered guilty pleas to three charges of indecent assault.

He was bailed until sentencing next month and copped abuse from people in the public gallery as he left.

Wide-ranging suppression orders prevent the names of other people or organisations associated with the prosecution being published.

Tahal admitted indecently assaulting the girls, aged in their mid-teens, between June 2012 and July last year.

Police have said the offending took place on school grounds when Tahal was working for a dental service.

According to police, Tahal was not directly involved in providing dental treatment but had contact with some of the pupils.

Tahal's former employer said new systems had been put in place since the offending came to light.

"Our staff aren't necessarily closely supervised, but this person had been working for us for some time," a management representative from his former employer told APNZ.

"[It] happened when he was working alone in the school. He wasn't accompanied by any staff members at the time."

The representative said all staff were "more mindful" about the potential risks of male staff members accompanying female pupils to the dental unit by themselves.

"A male staff member in future will not go and accompany a female student either between our unit and the classroom, or vice versa."

The principal of one of the schools used by the service said none of their pupils had raised any concerns about its conduct and praised the service for their "upfront" response to the allegations.

"As they soon as they received a complaint they got onto it very quickly."

Tahal initially pleaded not guilty to the charges.