A teenager who claims he was sexually abused by his teacher broke down in tears while giving evidence yesterday.

He told a court how he was offered up to $1,000 to touch the teacher's private parts.

The 16-year-old was speaking on the first day of the trial of his teacher, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The teacher, 32, denies fondling the boy for a sexual purpose while in a position of trust, between the beginning of October 1993 and December 31, 1993.

He also denies inviting the boy to touch him for a sexual purpose between those dates.

After being on the stand for most of the day, the private school student, who was just 11 when the alleged incidents took place, was asked by Crown Counsel Sandra Bacchus how he felt about testifying to the events of those months.

Through tears he said he was "nervous and confused'' and did not remember how many times he had come to the court to testify over the past four years.

And he told the ten woman, two-man jury that his teacher had moved him to the back of the room, next to the teacher's desk.

He described the classroom with all of the desks facing the blackboard and his and the teacher's desk behind his classmates. The boy said his teacher began to "scratch'' his thighs with his fingernails and after several days began to touch his penis through his pants.

He also said he was offered money to touch the teacher's penis.

"He said if I would touch his penis for 30 seconds he would give me $100,'' the distraught youngster explained.

"I said no and so he went up to $1,000. I still said no.'' He added the teacher had started the touching in class and carried on in after-school classes later arranged by his mother.

After the teen threatened to report the teacher to the school, the touching stopped for two days "but resumed on the third,'' he said.

The boy finally reported the incident to his parents at the end of the year after hearing a radio programme about sexual abuse which stressed the importance for young people to report abuse.

The boy also told the court the teacher later approached him and asked him to deny the allegation.

"He said it was a mistake and he was sorry, and it wasn't my fault,'' the teen said. "I told him that I would change my story so that I could go back into the class. I didn't change my story though. I was scared and embarrassed people would call me names.'' Defence lawyer Archie Warner challenged the student's memory of the incidents.

"You said the incidents began in October 1994 -are you sure?'' he asked.

"Yes, sir,'' the boy answered.

The boy admitted he had told his mother another adult associated with the school had tried to kiss him.

But he denied being disruptive in the weeks before he was moved next to the teacher or that he was disciplined by the teacher at a Christmas play on December 15. Earlier, a former pastor at two local churches said he had a counselling session with the accused on December 16, 1993.

He said the teacher told him the two were "skylarking or playing around''.

The following day the former pastor said he was part of a meeting with the accused and school administrators.

He said: "He repeated they were skylarking and he touched (the boy) by mistake. I asked him what did he mean and he said `in his privates'.'' Although the teacher pleaded guilty to the allegations last year, he subsequently changed his plea to one of not guilty after switching attorneys.

The case continues today.