A Hawkes Bay music, drama and maths teacher and musician with a classroom career dating back 40 years has been sentenced to three years and four months jail for molesting nine of his female pupils at Havelock North Primary School.
Charles John Michael Harter, 63, was sentenced by Judge David Cameron today in Napier District Court, having pleaded guilty to all charges on September 2, just three weeks after being charged.
Most of the offending happened earlier this year, although some dated back to 2012, during what defence counsel Tony Snell said was Harter's latest bout of depression, triggered by the death of his former wife in the Carterton air balloon tragedy.
Most of the offences, repeated numerously on most victims, involved touching in the breast area, the two most serious being skin-to-skin. There was some lesser touching in the groin area, over the outside of clothing.
Offences occurred in Harter's studio at home or at the school, involving girls mainly initially contacted within group music tuition at the school.