Trial against former Gilman School teacher continues

The trial of Christopher Bendann, the former Gilman School teacher accused of multiple counts of sexual exploitation of minors, possession of child pornography and cyberstalking while working at the Baltimore boys' school, continued Tuesday.

Former students testified that Bendann frequently texted and Snapchatted them, asking if they were wearing any clothes.

The former students also testified that they participated in naked runs in which Bendann forced them to run naked before driving them home.

The students described their relationship with him as “very, very close” and said they heard from Bendann every day.

One student said that when he learned what had allegedly happened, he was “absolutely devastated to learn that his best friend had been attacked by someone they trusted,” adding:

“I thought he was a mentor, but it turned out he was a monster.”

The victim's girlfriend said the two met in college and she found messages and nude photos on his phone that her boyfriend had sent to Bendann.

She stated that she initially believed she was being cheated.

Prosecutors said the victim's girlfriend did not know him before he was 18, noting that the relationship did not begin until the victim was an adult.

The prosecution also presented and read out 372 pages of text messages between Bendann and the victim. In them, Bendann demanded nude photos and threatened to expose the victim on Instagram. He opened an account with the photos and left it online until the victim sent more nude photos.

The defense admitted that Bendann stalked the victim on the Internet.