Former SA teacher Iain Wares, 86, handed himself over to authorities last month. Former SA teacher Iain Wares, 86, who handed himself over to authorities last month, in the latest consolidation of charges relating to sexual and physical abuse of 65 boys, with an indictment listing 90 charges in the UK, has denied knowing male learners he taught while being shown photographs of them taken decades ago. According to Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) has been attending and monitoring proceedings in the Wynberg Regional Court, where Wares is currently making court appearances.
Wares is facing a separate case, dating back to four decades ago involving an allegation of indecent assault of a former learner of his at Rondebosch Preparatory Boys. Wares denied the claims while taking the witness stand in October. The local victim, dubbed “Stephen”, took the witness stand a year ago, claiming he was abused by Wares who had been his teacher during 1988.
Wares is accused of indecently assaulting the male victim by touching his buttocks and penis and rubbing his penis up against the victim. During further cross examination this week, Wares denied knowing any male learners seen on photographs while being questioned by the state. WMACA said Wares functioned as an under-10 A and B rugby coach, and later as a Grade 7 Geography teacher—meaning he taught and coached the complainant over a four-year period.
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“In court, he conceded that at the time he “made a point of remembering names… it made them feel special” and maintained detailed seating plans for every learner,” said WMACA. “Yet today, faced with photographic evidence and pointed questions, he repeatedly claimed not to remember the complainant, despite acknowledging that he knew him “then. “The State confronted these contradictions directly.
When presented with a 1985 rugby team photograph, where Wares is unmistakably positioned as the only adult among a group of small boys, he was unable—or unwilling—to identify the child he taught, coached, and interacted with consistently. The same pattern emerged when shown the Grade 7 class photograph: he recognised the era, the staff, the context, yet again claimed the children’s faces “meant nothing” to him now.
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