TWO men have been forced to face the man they claim sexually abused them as children, giving evidence against former Armidale dentist Werner Schwarz on Tuesday.
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Now middle-aged men, the alleged victims had to recount the experiences as patients in Schwarz’s dental surgery at a pre-committal hearing in Armidale Local Court.
The hearing was held to determine which charges laid against Schwarz would proceed to a District Court trial.
Alleged victims were cross-examined by prosecutors and defence barrister Chris Taylor from 10.20am, with evidence still being heard at 4.15pm.
Schwarz, 80, is accused of sexually assaulting four boys when they visited his dental surgery as patients in the early 1980s.
He faced 35 child sex charges, including indecent assault upon a male and multiple counts of indecently assaulting a person under 16-years-old.
Before evidence was heard, solicitor for the Director of Public Prosecutions Mark Heffernan said police had collected further allegations against Schwarz.
“There are a number of statements of various people who came forward as a result of media reports,” Mr Heffernan said.
“A number make statements about the ... use of hypnosis and massage.
“[They] allege inappropriate conduct during these sessions.”
The majority of charges were laid last year.
However, a fourth alleged victim came forward with further allegations of abuse after reading reports about Schwarz earlier this year, with the charge first appearing in court on June 17.
His matter is still in the early stages of the court process and will return to Armidale Local Court on August 19.