A former Royal Australian Navy lieutenant has been found guilty of sexually abusing children in the Republic of Kiribati, north of Fiji. Johannes Zweerus Van Der Zyden, 64, faced a Brisbane Supreme Court trial accused of eight counts of sexual conduct with a child under 16 and seven counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 16, which occurred when he was based on the island as a navy lieutenant commander.
Jurors had been deliberating since Wednesday afternoon.
They returned their guilty verdicts on all 15 charges shortly before 11am today. The trial heard Van Der Zyden, who now lives on the Gold Coast, was working as a maritime surveillance officer based in the town of Betio between 1997 and 1999 when he molested four boys aged between 11 and 15.
His male partner had met some of the boys on a nearby beach and invited them back to the military compound home he shared with Van Der Zyden. Other sexual misconduct and intercourse took place in various parts of Betio. Van Der Zyden will be sentenced this afternoon by Justice Debra Mullins.