Michael Campbell Rankin: Primary school teacher on trial over historical child sex offence allegations

A primary school teacher accused of molesting multiple male students almost 30 years ago has gone on trial, with the State alleging he brazenly indecently touched them in his classroom. Michael Campbell Rankin was a Year 5 teacher at a southeastern suburbs school in the mid-1990s when he allegedly rubbed the four boys, aged nine to 10, through their pants. All of the complainants reported he did it in class after calling them up to the front of the room during a lesson or holding them back for bad behaviour. Prosecutor Danielle Clarke said there were also two incidents at camp in the South West. One of the complainants alleges that when he walked into the shower block as the children prepared for bed, the now 57-year-old dropped his towel and touched himself. Another said it occurred as Mr Rankin comforted him following a physical fight with another student that left him with a blood nose. That man testified in person at the District Court of WA trial on Tuesday, saying that once when the teacher touched him in class — then squeezed his shoulder while circling the room checking work — he became angry. “I picked up my chair and raised it towards his face,” the man told the court. He said he told Mr Rankin to “f... off and leave me alone”, then sat back down and tried to finish his maths exercise but was “dragged out of class by my arms and legs” by other teachers. Ms Clarke said charges relating to one of the four complainants were discontinued at the start of the trial but he would be called as a prosecution witness to show the accused “had a tendency” to indecently touch his male students. These were not one-off occurrences that happened out of the blue, and he acted “with impunity”, she said. Defence counsel Andrew Tehan said his client denied the offending. The trial is being heard by Judge David MacLean without a jury. Kid’s Helpline 1800 55 1800 Sexual Assault Resource Centre 1800 199 888