Former teacher gets eight years jail for sexual abuse

A former Palmerston North teacher who sexually abused young boys over a 25-year period was jailed for eight years in the High Court at Palmerston North today.

Derek Leslie Humphreys, 43, who taught at Ross Intermediate School earlier pleaded guilty to 19 charges involving indecent assault and unlawful sexual connection on boys aged between 12 and 16.

The court heard Humphreys began offending when he was a student teacher in 1976 and continued until his arrest in January last year.

Justice Gendall declined a Crown's request that Humphreys, with no previous convictions, should be sentenced to preventive detention, which has no mandatory parole limit and no finite release date.