Trial of former Gilman teacher accused of sexual abuse continues on Monday

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — The trial of 40-year-old Christopher Bendann began on Wednesday, with Bendann refusing to appear in court.

The judge ordered U.S. Marshals to take him to court, where his attorney attempted to delay the trial by filing a motion to disqualify him from standing.

The judge found Bendann to be “razor-sharp” and allowed the trial to begin.

The former Gilman School teacher is accused of multiple counts of sexual exploitation of minors, possession of child pornography and cyberstalking while working at the private boys' school in North Baltimore.

The victim, now 23 years old, was confronted with her alleged tormentor and forced to identify herself as a minor in explicit photographs that were allegedly sent to Bendann and secretly taken by him.

He told the jury that Bendann would make the students run around naked in exchange for alcohol and a ride home.

He claims the abuse escalated to unwanted sexual acts, and when he asked him to stop, Bendann “threatened to publish all the photos and tell everyone what was going on.”

The defense admitted that Bendann stalked and threatened his former student when he went to college and called the behavior “embarrassingly regrettable.”

Bendann denied exploiting the victim and claimed that a romantic relationship did not develop until the victim turned 18.

The federal government says it has received ten devices from Bendann.

Bendann plans to testify during the trial, which continues on Monday.