A former Auckland teacher has pleaded guilty to nearly 200 counts involving sexual abuse of children and illegal intimate recordings.

Malcolm Ross Davidson, who turned 72 last week, alternately sat and stood in the dock in Auckland District Court today as Judge Kathryn Maxwell silently spent roughly 20 minutes paging through the voluminous file of charges against him involving dozens of victims.

Defence lawyer Paul Dacre, KC, agreed to admit to the charges on his client’s behalf in one all-encompassing guilty plea rather than having each individual charge read aloud to Davidson, which would have been a far lengthier process.

The Massey resident, the only person in the courtroom wearing a mask, turned his head in the opposite direction as photographers from two media outlets captured the scene.

Davidson was initially charged in late 2021 with one count of possessing an objectionable publication and two counts of making an intimate visual recording. A tsunami of follow-up charges were filed last July, bringing the total to 131 counts of making an intimate visual recording, 45 counts of sexual conduct with a child under 12, one count of unlawful sexual connection and 12 counts of knowingly making objectionable videos - 189 charges in all.

Davison now faces up to 14 years’ imprisonment for making objectionable videos of women and children, 10 years for each of the indecent assault charges and three years on each of the intimate visual recording charges.

Crown prosecutor Fiona Culliney dropped the single unlawful sexual connection charge today in lieu of another indecent act charge. The sexual connection charge would have carried a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. The allegation for that charge remains the same, that he put his fingers inside a child’s nappy.

The indecent assault charges range from holding children over a mobile phone to putting them in poses and inappropriate touching.

Judge Maxwell set a sentencing date for September, at which point victim impact statements are expected to be given.

Davidson lost a bid for name suppression last year but Judge Maxwell issued sweeping suppression orders regarding the charges themselves, including where Davidson was employed.