A former deputy principal has been found guilty of multiple counts of indecent assault of a teenage girl in the 1990s by a Queensland court.
Kenneth Ralph Ernst was charged in 2017 with three counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16, 11 counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape.
The alleged incidents occurred between 1990 and 1994 at the girl's home, while the pair were at two North Queensland travel destinations, at a wake, and at Ernst's house.
The girl was about 13 when the alleged offending began, with Ernst 18 years her senior.
Ernst, from the Sunshine Coast, was found guilty today in the District Court in Maroochydore of three counts of indecent treatment of a child and eight counts of indecent assault of a child under 16.
The 60-year-old was found not guilty of attempted rape and two counts of indecent assault, one of which had an aggravating circumstance.
The acts he was found guilty of include Ernst exposing himself to the young girl on a beach, assaulting her numerous times at a cave on a North Queensland island, and a sexual massage in a cabin.
Ernst was found not guilty of the allegations that he forced himself on the girl at her father's wake, and attempting to rape her at his home as an older teenager.
Ernst, who was also a teacher and deputy principal in Rockhampton, Cairns and the Sunshine Coast, pleaded not guilty and strenuously denied all allegations against him throughout the trial.
Ernst and family upset by verdict
Judge Tony Moynihan QC summarised the evidence and directed the jury to carefully consider and scrutinise everything they had heard.
He said the trial had been "impaired" by the complainant's delay in reporting the alleged offending, which meant her evidence could not be adequately tested at the time.
Throughout the trial, the jury heard from various witnesses, including the victim, her mother, childhood friends and a psychologist, as well as Ernst providing his own testimony.
After five hours of deliberation, the jury first returned a split vote, with Judge Moynihan directing them to again reconsider the evidence and attempt to deliver a unanimous verdict.
After six hours, the jury returned a unanimous result.
As the decision was read to the court room, Ernst began to cry, with his family also visibly upset with the verdict.
Leaving the court room, a friend of the victim said "justice had finally been served".
Ernst's sentence has been adjourned until Friday morning and he has been remanded in custody.
