Teacher Accused of Molestation

Regular readers of Statement Analysis often need no guidance in coming to a conclusion on whether or not the subject "did it"; unless there is a dearth of statements for analysis.  Readers are used to knowing whether or not someone did it...not much mystery.

Here, we have little to go on, and as we seek fairness, we should conclude that there were many more statements made here than what the reporter listed.  We do not know if he had the chance to say "I did not do it"; therefore, we are unable to make a conclusion.  It is our hope that more journalists will take SCAN training.

Teacher on stand: I’m no molester

• from NYPOST.com

A Queens teacher accused of molesting several students took the stand yesterday to defend his record and vehemently deny any wrongdoing.

Simon Watts (left, at court yesterday) is accused of touching five students between 2007 and 2010 when he taught third- and fourth-graders at Jackie Robinson Elementary in Springfield Gardens.

“I’d like to think I was a good teacher,” Watts said while being questioned by his attorney, Amy Marion, during his trial in Queens Supreme Court.

“I was very organized. I was a strict disciplinarian.”

Watts, 42 — who is charged with multiple counts of sexual misconduct against children — denied forcible-touching allegations from his accusers, who were all between the ages of 8 and 9.

Ellis Kaplan

Simon Watts

The married father said he occasionally had private conversations with students after class, but never touched them inappropriately.

“We hope that the jury does what they are supposed to do, which is to look at all the evidence in this case and to realize that there is no evidence that Mr. Watts did anything wrong near what these children say,” said his attorney.