Tearful outbursts by convicted paedophile William John Creasey on Monday brought his trial in the Wynberg Regional Court to a halt.
The 55-year-old teacher is to be sentenced, probably this week, on nine counts of indecent assault involving three teenage boys, and for possession of child pornography.
Led by defence lawyer Van Zyl Loots, Creasey burst into tears several times as he told magistrate Susan Smith of his sexual involvement with teenage boys.
However, in his final outburst, which caused the court to adjourn to Tuesday, he blurted: ”I am absolutely disgusted and revolted by what has happened. I deeply regret it, and wish I could change things. I realise people have been hurt, and wish I could undo that, but I cannot.”
He told the court the sexually explicit images found in his possession had been downloaded from the internet by a paedophile friend living with him prior to his arrest.
He told the court: ”I don’t feel very happy about those images, and obviously regret it.
”I was too afraid to put them into a refuse bin, or dump them down the road, in case someone saw me.”
Asked if he was a practising Catholic, he replied: ”Very much so.”
Loots: ”You are not one of those who suddenly find God when they are in serious danger of going to jail?”
Creasey: ”Definitely not.”
Creasey said a nun visited him weekly in prison, and he and other prisoners regularly prayed together to help each other.
He added: ”If it were not for my religion, I would have committed suicide by now, but my faith prevents me from doing that.”
He said he’d been to confession for spiritual help, and had spent at least three hours with a sympathetic priest.
Asked what he had hoped to gain from confession before a priest, he said: ”I wanted to clear my conscience by making a confession — I needed guidance and help.”
He told the court about his experience with a particularly talented teacher while he was still a pupil had influenced his decision to become a teacher.
He told the court he had ”the odd woman friend from time to time” but had never had any sexual relationships with women.
He had become attracted to boys whilst at boarding school, he told the court.
He said he had been a teacher for 27 years, and considered himself highly talented.
He added: ”I have qualities that make me a damn good teacher.”
Creasey had kept a journal of sorts, and in it had referred to a boy as ”cute”.
Asked by Loots what he had meant by ”cute”, he said: ”Cute means delightful and bubbly, and physically attractive, but not in a sexual way — I do not regard my pupils as sex objects.”
Creasey is to be cross-examined on Tuesday by prosecutor Dawn Coleman. – Sapa