A former Wellington teacher was struck off after telling a schoolboy he wanted sex with him, play fighting with him at his house, and giving him a jockstrap.
Following a decision by the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal, former Scots College teacher Graham Elsmore was struck off the register for his conduct. Open Justice reported the incidents occurred during Elsmore’s short tenure the school in the 80s.
The complaint to the Tribunal was filed in 2021 after Elsmore contacted the victim (whose name is suppressed) out of the blue online.
The first incident discussed in the Tribunal’s report occurred when Elsmore called the student to his desk after the class had finished.
He gave the boy a jockstrap and told him he “might find it useful”.
“I was confused, and I didn’t know why Mr Elsmore gave me the jockstrap or what I was supposed to do with it,” the complainant said.
The boy then put it in his bag and walked out of the classroom before throwing it in some bushes on the way home.
“I did not tell anyone about receiving the jockstrap. Mr Elsmore did not bring up the jockstrap again.”
Teacher tells boy he wants sex with him
Around a month after the jock strap incident, the boy had maths tutoring with Elsmore and some other students after school.
“As I was leaving the grounds afterwards, Mr Elsmore offered me a ride into town. I normally caught the bus to the railway station and then caught the train home. As I didn’t think anything of it, I agreed.”
While driving to town, Elsmore said he wanted to pick up some library books from his house. When they arrived, he invited the boy inside.
At some point while inside, the pair started “play fighting” – wrestling and rolling on the ground. The complainant did not remember how the wrestling began.
“There was no inappropriate touching, but, in hindsight, I feel like it may have been building up to something inappropriate.
“At the time, I thought it was fun, like how I used to wrestle with my dad. I thought nothing of it.”
After wrestling, the two sat on the floor and started talking.
At some point during the conversation, Elsmore said: “I would like to have sex with you.”
“I said no. Mr Elsmore stopped the conversation and did not touch me after that. After that, I can’t remember how much longer we stayed at his house, but then Mr Elsmore drove me to the railway station.
“I don’t remember him telling me not to tell anyone what he had said or done.”
'My schooling suffered'
The complainant said he “struggled” to process Elsmore’s conduct and was “confused about whether to tell my parents".
“Over the next six or eight months, my schooling suffered. I always held teachers with respect and in high regard but after the incident, I lost respect for teachers and the school as an institution. I was a bit of a problem at school and after that. I found it hard to navigate the mental side of things.”
He also said the relationship with his family had become strained, particularly with his father.
“Because I grew up in a family where we talked about our feelings, my dad struggled with the fact that I wasn’t communicating with him.”
He eventually told his parents what happened, but the incident was not reported to the school.
“Over the next three or four years, I struggled with my identity. It changed how I reacted to things. I tried to become more macho. I also questioned my sexual orientation. It affected how I thought about women (as an adult).”
He decided to file a complaint to police in 2021 after Elsmore attempted to contact him via LinkedIn.
“When I opened the email, I froze in my seat. A lot of my memories and thoughts about the incident come flooding back. I was upset Mr Elsmore had contacted me after what happened, so I deleted the email.”
“Since Mr Elsmore contacted me on LinkedIn, I’ve had a lot of triggers come back. I have been receiving counselling from Employee Assistance Programme in relation to the events with him.”
Responding to the claims, Elsmore told the Tribunal he never touched the boy and was sceptical about why a complaint wasn’t raised decades ago.
He claimed to have only arm-wrestled the boy and only invited him inside for a warm drink.
Elsmore also denied contacting the boy on LinkedIn. However, this was disproved by evidence of the emails and a friend request sent.
Teacher censured after 'inappropriate' touching exposed on TikTok
Multiple students, aged between 9 and 13, alleged he had made them feel “uncomfortable” by inappropriately touching them.
Mon, Jul 8
Teacher at ChCh girls' school shared nudes, did sex acts with student
The teacher, Taurapa, started messaging the 16-year-old on Snapchat, before their relationship became sexual.
July 3, 2023
Teacher smoked meth at school, charged with serious misconduct
Katherine Kirk brought methamphetamine to school in a sunglasses case which was discovered by fellow staff members on two occasions.
August 17, 2023
While Elsmore was initially involved with the investigation, he pulled out of proceedings due to his health and did not appear at a hearing about his conduct.
It was found that Elsmore was “not of a good character or fit to teach,” and his registration was cancelled.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
