Teacher denies indecency chargesTuesday, 12 July, 2005, 15:41 GMT 16:41 UK
A schoolgirl has told a court how her teacher performed a sex act in front of her and classmates during exams.
The teenager told Southwark Crown Court how Shay Kernaghan, 27, "prepared himself" by putting chairs either side of him to hide what he was doing.
Mr Kernaghan, a business studies teacher, denies eight sex charges.
It is claimed he "abused a position of trust" by "engaging in sexual activity other than sexual intercourse" at the London school.
It is also claimed the defendant "committed an act of lewd, obscene and disgusting nature, outraging public decency."
'Exaggerating things'
Guy Ladenburg, prosecuting, told the jury that even when Mr Kernaghan, who has since left the school to live in County Tyrone, realised he could be seen he continued with what he was doing.
"It was clear he was excited by the knowledge that the girls knew exactly what he was up to," he claimed.
"Their presence in the class so close to what he was doing on these occasions was an added thrill."
The teenager, who was 16 at the time and is one of four alleged victims due to give evidence at the trial, said she could recall four separate occasions when Mr Kernaghan abused himself in the classroom.
After the second occasion, she told the court she wanted to tell but her other classmates stopped her, but after another occasion she decided that she could not stay quiet any longer.
Her and her friends then approached the sixth form's deputy head.
Cross-examined by John Burrow, defending, the teenager denied "exaggerating things" and "jumping to conclusions".
Forensic tests
She also rejected claims that movements made by the teacher could have been simply him reaching into his trouser pockets to retrieve some cream for a cold sore on his lip.
The court heard that forensic tests on two of the chairs Mr Kernaghan sat on backed up accounts given by various girls to the police.
When first interviewed over the allegations, Mr Ladenburg, prosecuting, said Mr Kernaghan claimed that residues found on the chair could have been left when he changed clothes for the gym.
But later when told of the results, he told officers he had been having sex on the school premises with "an adult female".
The alleged incidents are said to have taken place between 1 October and 12 December 2003.
The case continues.
And here I am still calling it "petting the panda". I'm so behind the times.
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