School bus driver groped girl, jury told

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A Northland school bus driver groped a teenage student who hugged him to say goodbye, a jury has heard.

The man, who has name suppression to protect the identity of the complainant, denied a charge of indecent assault and a three-day trial got underway in the Whangarei District Court yesterday.

In her opening address to a jury of seven men and five women, Crown prosecutor Moana Jarman-Taylor said the inappropriate conduct occurred on the last day of school and on the last bus stop in 2013. She said the bus driver was required to flip over signs at the back and front of the bus after finishing the school bus run.

On that day, the student flipped over the back sign and walked to the front to say goodbye before putting her hand on his shoulder to hug him.

Ms Jarman-Taylor said the bus driver put a hand on the teenage girl's breast and kissed her on her lips and on her cheek. Initially, she said the student though he'd touched her by mistake but thought otherwise when he started moving or rubbing his hand against her breast.

The girl walked off the bus and later that afternoon sent two texts to someone she knew to say: "I want to talk to you about something."

The bus driver was later arrested on May 3, 2013 and he admitted hugging her in the past, but said on the day in question the student hugged him but he didn't hug back.

In his opening address, defence lawyer Richard Parangi urged the jury to listen to the complainant's video interview carefully.

Judge Duncan Harvey earlier told the jury to keep an open mind throughout the trial and not to discuss the case with anyone apart from fellow jurors. He also advised them not to make enquiries of their own or draw any negative inference by the fact that the complainant would give evidence through CCTV.