A swimming instructor brazenly and opportunistically acted upon his sexual interest towards young female students despite the high risk of detection, a jury has heard.
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The "bigger picture" of Kyle James Henk Daniels' alleged abuse was painted by crown prosecutor Karl Prince in his closing address to the Sydney jury on Thursday.
Despite small inconsistencies within the evidence, the Crown said there could be no doubt from nine complainants and 23 incidents over a 13-month period that the 22-year-old engaged in sexual conduct with female swim school students between five and 10-years-old.
Daniels has pleaded not guilty to 26 charges, including multiple counts of having sexual intercourse with a child under 10 and indecently assaulting a person under 16.
He stands accused of the assaults while teaching at a busy north shore pool between February 2018 and February 2019.
Each of the girls complained Daniels' inappropriate touching began while correcting swimming or diving techniques, Mr Prince said.
Some were left shocked, others confused or "creeped out", one inquiring "why would anyone want to do that anyway"?
Some parents gave the man entrusted with care and authority over their children the benefit of the doubt that it had been an accident, leaving the allegations with the swim centre, he said.
But despite the presence of CCTV cameras, numerous staff walking around the pool deck, and parents sitting close-by, "no one could see what was going on under the water".
It was not a case of being clumsy, accidental or mistaken, given Daniels testified himself there was no reason to hold a child in the groin area during a lesson, Mr Prince said.
He accused Daniels of making up evidence to offer innocent explanations as to what might have occurred, and tailoring his answers about a "troublesome" student after listening to the trial.
Some inconsistencies in the complainants' evidence included one girl describing a photo of him wearing glasses when he wasn't, and another thinking she had more classes with him than she did.
But Mr Prince pointed to expert evidence earlier in the six-week trial that states gaps in one's recall and inconsistencies is "the norm", and their absence would be more troublesome given memory wasn't infallible.
He also pointed to expert evidence that children generally disliked talking about being hurt in such a way and were unlikely to keep saying so over a period of time if it was untrue.
"Suggestibility occurs much more in adults", the prosecutor said.
On Thursday the NSW District Court jury was retold that one girl felt Daniels' hand digging into her privates which hurt, another time wiggling his finger.
After one young girl said her teacher touched her on the bottom she declared it was not his fault as he wore glasses and could not see properly.
"Please don't get him in trouble," she said.
Similarities in some of the stories include instances where the correct breaststroke technique was being taught when a girl was facing down and Daniels' hands would reach around and touch their vaginas.
One alleged victim was not forthcoming with the information and looked uncomfortable, often fidgeting while giving her police interview.
But just because she got to a point where she was prepared to speak about such a sensitive topic does not make the story less truthful or her less reliable, Mr Prince said.
Three other girls came forward to say he pushed them by their private parts, while another later told her parents she was "thrilled" to be moving up a class because she didn't want to be touched anymore.
Defence barrister Leslie Nicholls will begin his closing address on Friday.
Australian Associated Press