By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A high school track and field coach broke down in tears yesterday as he denied allegations he sexually assaulted an underaged male student four years ago.

Prosecutors allege Robert Ayton, 54, touched the complainant inappropriately at the Doris Johnson High School gym between October 1 and 31, 2019, and later had sexual relations with him at his home and at school on two separate occasions between June 1, 2020, and February 28, 2021. The complainant was between 14 and 15 at the time.

Ayton faces two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor of the same sex and indecent assault. He is appearing before Justice Guillimina Archer-Minns.

Ayton broke down in tears and needed a moment to compose himself after he described how he first heard of allegations when he voluntarily went to police in 2021.

He claimed the complainant was lying about him.

The defendant said he does not know why the complainant made the allegations against him. Ayton said the complainant had issues with authority at school, especially with male staff members.

Ayton said he worked at Doris Johnson as a math teacher and that he helped coach the track and field team. He said that the complainant was part of the team.

Ayton described how in 2019 he would sometimes train the team for cross country at the track at the cricket club.

Ayton denied touching the complainant inappropriately at the field. He further claimed there was no place reserved for massages on field. Ayton said it was impossible that he touched the complainant’s genitals. He said he did not massage the teen nor recalls the complainant being injured.

Ayton, while being questioned by his attorney Mario Gray, claimed he did not have access to the school gym. He said he would have to ask the Physical Education teacher for a key.

Ayton refuted the complainant’s claim he told him to go to the gym to do leg lunges. Ayton denied forcing the complainant to perform fellatio on him inside the gym.

The defendant exclaimed “what?” when the prosecution suggested someone discovered the alleged sexual assault at the gym. He denied the incident ever happened.

The defendant denied pulling a knife on the defendant during this alleged incident. He claimed he does not carry knives and he only walks around with his whistle and stopwatch.

Ayton called the complainant’s claims that he threatened the teen with a knife “ridiculous”.

Ayton disagreed with the complainant’s claim that he was circumcised, claiming it was a fact that he was uncircumcised.

Ayton said he did not give the complainant a ride in 2021 after a track meet. He said it was impossible that he had done so around 1pm as the meet would have long been over.

The complainant previously testified that while the defendant was taking him home Ayton stopped at his own house to pick up something.

Ayton explained that students would’ve seen his house during Zoom practices during the COVID pandemic. He said he would be throughout the house and would utilise different spaces to demonstrate different exercises.

The prosecutors suggested Ayton was lying about Zoom practices because the complainant could give exact details about his home.

Ayton claimed that sometimes after beach exercises at Yamacraw students would come to his house to use the bathroom or for refreshments as he lived nearby. He claimed students knew where his house was because they followed him there. Ayton said the complainant went to his house for water.

Ayton said it was a lie that the complainant did not attend beach training and that he has a record of it on his phone.

Ayton told the prosecution he couldn’t remember the exact number of students in track team. He also alleged the complainant never had an injury in September 2019.

However, he could not say when the complainant stopped coming to practice.

While Ayton denied ever taking the complainant home and said his relatives picked him up.

Moreover, Ayton claimed a man the complainant referred to as his “uncle” picked him up in a red car once. Ayton further claimed the complainant’s mother said no uncle had picked up her son.

The prosecution recounted the complainant’s testimony that once when he went to Ayton’s home the defendant allegedly locked the door. The complainant claimed that while the defendant was in the shower he told the teen to come for the key. While in the bathroom the defendant alleged he was sexually assaulted and that defendant allegedly put his finger in his anus.

Ayton denied this incident ever happened.

Cordell Frazier and Vashti Bridgewater are prosecuting the case.