Sex-case teacher’s extraordinary court ‘performance’

ACCUSED . . . Neil Carr

A TEACHER accused of sexually touching young boys at school, has been accused of telling “a pack of lies” in order to explain why he spent hours trawling the internet for pictures of naked or near-naked little boys.

Neil Carr (25) was also accused of giving an “extraordinary performance” to a trial jury at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court.

Lisa Boocock prosecuting, put it to him: “You were super-confident, super-charismatic, and super-rehearsed. You did all manner of things to ingratiate yourself with the jury. Have you been watching too many American courtroom dramas?”

Carr, who pleads not guilty to 20 separate offences of sexual activity with a child, involving seven young boys, replied: “The things I have said were truthful. The truth comes naturally.”

Earlier a hushed courtroom had been told the teacher had dramatically revealed he had had a sexual relationship with an older male relative as a youngster. It had developed from “silly dares” to sexual acts.

He told the court the internet searches for pictures of little boys had taken placea over a period of a few months, when he was coping with personal issues — including the death of the relative, whom he hadn’t seen for years. He claimed he had been trying to face his past.

Ms Boocock asked why he hadn’t revealed the affair months earlier, when he knew police would find the images on computers seized from his home.

He said: “To minimise the horror and impact of what came out. I had been as full and frank in interview as I was comfortable doing.”

Earlier the deputy head at the school where Mr Carr taught told the jury he had been regarded as a “fantastic” teacher.

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