A former student basketball star break down in tears on the witness stand as he described how his coach allegedly became aroused while touching him during a nude ‘fat test’.
The ex-athlete struggled to maintain his composure during emotional testimony against Aaron Thomas, a former basketball coach at North Kingstown High School in Rhode Island.
Thomas, 57, is accused of molesting his students under the guise of administering fitness tests which he said would help them run fast and jump higher, the Boston Globe reports.
The former teacher has denied charges of second-degree child molestation and assault.
But in court his former student recalled how Thomas allegedly had ‘a bulge’ in his pants following a ‘puberty test’, which involved him pressing his thumb onto the student’s thigh near his genitals.
‘I’ve had an erection in khakis before. I know what it looks like,’ the student, who was 15-year-old at the time, told the court. The judge presiding has requested the alleged victim remain anonymous.
The student was then overcome with emotion as he described the impact the tests had on him.
‘It has ruined me,’ he sobbed. ‘My life’s been ripped apart as a result of this process.’
Former basketball coach Aaron Thomas has been accused of molesting students under the guise of fitness tests
One former student, whose identity is being protected, described how his coach allegedly became aroused while touching him during a nude ‘fat test’
‘I felt that I was speaking out on something that was wrong and something that with a more mature perspective had ruined my life.’
He confirmed that Thomas never directly touched his genitals when asked by the accused’s attorney John L. Calcagni III.
Calcagni also confirmed that the testing was ‘voluntary’ and drew they jury’s attention to spreadsheets Thomas kept which he used to keep metrics on a range of body parts and which were available to students after the tests.
But prosecutors allege that Thomas asked students, ‘are you shy or not shy?’ in order to get them to strip and administer ‘fat tests’, ‘puberty tests’ or what he called a ‘hernia check’.
This involved touching students inner thighs and near their groins, scrotums, and buttocks, prosecutors said.
‘I didn’t really think twice about it, to be honest. I was 15 years old,’ the student told the court, Turn to 10 reports. ‘My back was against the wall and legs spread out as far as they could go.’
The tests were carried out in a windowless janitor’s closet or an AV room that was attached to Thomas’ office, according to the complaint.
The student who testified is central to the case, along with another ex-athlete. who claim Thomas inappropriately touched their nude bodies near their genitals either with calipers or his fingers.
The former coach has denied charges of second-degree child molestation and assault.
The alleged incidents took place at North Kingstown High School in Rhode Island
Calcagni denied that his client ever became aroused during the tests and pointed out that the student had not recounted this detail during initial testing during 2018.
He insisted that the two students had personal grievances with the coach related to the amount of play time they were getting on the basketball court.
Thomas was released on bail after pleading not guilty at his arraignment in 2022.
He is expected to take the stand in his own defense as his trial continues.
