TOWSON, Md. —
A former Gilman School teacher accused of child sex abuse spoke out Tuesday for the first time, claiming the accusations against him are false.
Christopher Bendann faces charges of child sex abuse against a student who was 15 years old at the time of the allegations.
A Baltimore County judge on Tuesday set a Dec. 14 trial date for Bendann, who, along with his attorney, contends his accuser has several reasons to be "less than honest" and that Gilman officials are behind the abuse allegations.
"I know that I am innocent," Bendann said. "They have been trying to mischaracterize me from the beginning of this."
The defense plans to call nine witnesses.
"This is a 'he said, he said' case, and the complaining witness has several reasons to be less than honest," defense attorney Kobie Flowers said.
According to police charging documents, Bendann is accused of providing alcohol to children and requested they remove their clothing and run around naked in front of him. Although the court documents say children, there is only one complaint against him.
"There is only one complaining witness, and that complaining witness has several reasons to be less than honest. We expect to show that in court," Flowers said.
The police charging documents allege Bendann requested nude photos of the teen and threatened to expose him if he didn't produce them. The victim told investigators that Bendann touched his private areas and instructed him to touch himself. The victim said the...
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