Teacher ordered to avoid pupil - trial told

Durham Crown Court heard that Philip Nigel Evans acted unprompted as a "mentor" to the 14-year-old pupil, who had behavioural problems and had regularly played truant in the previous months.

The court was told Mr Evans, an assistant year leader at the large secondary school, regularly visited the boy at home, took him on outings, bought him gifts and made, or attempted to make, more than 600 mobile phone calls and text messages to him in less than five months.

During that time, he was alleged to have taken the boy out at least twice without his mother's knowledge, indecently touched him and made inappropriate suggestions.

Mr Evans, 34, of St Cuthbert Avenue, Chester-le-Street, denies indecent assault, indecency with a child and two counts of abduction.

He said he had the boy's best interests at heart and claimed nothing inappropriate took place.

But his headteacher, giving evidence yesterday on the third day of the trial, said that although the school had a mentoring scheme for some difficult pupils, no such arrangement was in place in the case of the boy.

She said Mr Evans was summoned to a meeting and told to have no more to do with the boy and his family, either in or out of the school.

Asked about Mr Evans' reaction, the head said: "He took it in what I regard as a strange way. He said, 'We are great friends'."

Several weeks later in a meeting with the pupil and his father, she said the boy revealed Mr Evans had touched him.

She asked him to write down what happened and, on seeing the resultant notes, reported matters to the police.

Earlier, the boy's mother told the court she was under the impression that the liaison between Mr Evans and her son was officially approved by the school.

But she said she felt it was not right when her son returned home from outings having been bought expensive gifts by Mr Evans.

The trial continues.