The prosecution in the trial of former Eight Mile Rock High School teacher Andre Birbal closed its case yesterday.

The former art teacher is on trial for having unnatural sex with a former male student from 2002 to 2007.

The final two witnesses took the stand yesterday morning, one of whom was the victim’s mother who told the court that Birbal once came to her house.

The final witness for the prosecution was the officer who conducted the investigation, Inspector Terecita Pinder.

At the time of Birbal’s arrest in 2007 Inspector Pinder was a sergeant attached to the Central Detective Unit in Grand Bahama.

It was through the interview conducted by Inspector Pinder that Birbal’s words entered the trial.

She said when she interviewed Birbal in 2007 he denied having sexual intercourse with the young man or even staying behind with him after classes.

The alleged victim, who took the stand on Monday claimed Birbal first committed the act in the seventh grade after telling him to stay behind when class got out as punishment.

However, the inspector said during her interview with Birbal, he denied it.

When asked what his sexual preference was, Birbal said he was advised by his attorney to not answer the question.

One thing Birbal did admit to during the interview, she testified, was connecting the victim with his church, who assisted him with getting dental care.

But Birbal, according to the interview said he never gave the victim money.

At this time, in 2007, Birbal would have been a teacher in Grand Bahama for more than 15 years.

During cross examination, the inspector told the court that when officers searched Birbal’s laptop, they found no sign of child pornography or anything disturbing.

She also noted that during the initial inspection of Birbal’s classroom, officers never conducted swabs for semen or blood.

The defense is set to open their case this morning at 11:00 a.m.

Darnell Taylor is the lead prosecutor and Ramona Farquharson-Seymour represents the defense.