A judge has ruled that a former teacher was in a public place when he was caught masturbating in an Auckland classroom.
The man was found guilty in the Auckland District Court by Judge Ann Kiernan, after she read a reserved decision.
She had already ruled that the man was masturbating during school hours, but had to decide if it happened in a place the public had access to.
Judge Kiernan told the man she was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that was the case.
"I accept of course that no one could see in to the classroom unless they were boosted up to the height of the corridor windows but they could of course have entered through the classroom door with or without knocking."
The man already admitted that he looked at up to 27 pornographic websites during the lunch break on a school computer but he had been fighting the charge of wilfully doing an indecent act in a place to which the public had access.
Today's ruling that he was in a public place, meant Judge Kiernan found him guilty of the charge.
Judge Kiernan continued the man's interim name suppression.
