VISTA – A half-dozen Escondido middle school students testified Tuesday that a former teacher molested them multiple times during horseplay between classes and after school.

The boys were the first prosecution witnesses to take the stand in the trial of Peter Thomas Ziskin, a 43-year-old Solana Beach resident who faces life in prison if convicted of 26 child molestation counts.

Ziskin, who was in his first year as a fulltime instructor at Rincon Middle School when the alleged crimes occurred, reached into the boys' pants and rubbed their genitals with the back of his hand when he picked them up in the air, they said.

“At first, you know, I thought it was an accident. We were wrestling and stuff. But (Ziskin) kept doing it,” one student said.

Another student testified that the teacher “cupped” his genitals twice during an after-school study session and saw him do the same to a friend.

He also said that he saw the defendant walk into the boys locker room to wrestle with students who were dressing after physical education classes.

A third boy testified that Ziskin touched his genitals at least four times and also lifted his shirt to give him “raspberries” – blowing on his stomach to make him laugh.

An investigation began in January 2005 when an instructional aide reported possible molestations involving Ziskin.

The defendant was arrested in February 2005 and jailed for three months, until family members and friends put up cash and title to an office building in Sun Valley, Idaho, to secure his release.

He has consistently denied the allegations.

In addition to the nine students, Ziskin is charged with molesting the underage son of a family friend.

The prosecution must prove that the touching included a sexual intent on Ziskin's part.

One of his two attorneys told jurors in his opening statement that no one has ever made such accusations against his client before.

Investigators found no child pornography on Ziskin's computers at home or school, and no evidence that he'd ever visited child porn Internet sites, which is a common practice among child molesters, lawyer Donald Levine said.

The instructional aide, Nancy Jane Kramar, “jumped to the wrong conclusions” when she saw his client wrestling with the boys, the attorney told the jury.

Ziskin was “a big kid” who wrestled with the students and gave them “noogies” – playfully rubbing his knuckles on their heads, Levine said.

The boys would run up to the defendant, jump on his back and ask to wrestle, Levine said.

“(Ziskin) loved young people, but not in a perverted way,” the lawyer said. “He made learning fun, which is why the kids liked him.”

The teacher was also strict, and sent many students to the principal's office if they acted up, including some of his accusers, the lawyer said.

The students in trouble only had to walk a few feet, because the offices of the principal and vice principal were practically next door to Ziskin's classroom, located in the middle of the campus, Levine said.

Ziskin's classroom was like “Grand Central Station” because of its location, and because there are two doors to the outside and a third to an adjoining classroom, the lawyer said.

The alleged victims said that most of the time that they were touched inappropriately, there were other people in the room.

None of the alleged victims reported inappropriate touching until the investigation started, the attorney said.

The first boy to testify was asked why by prosecutor Tracy Prior.

“I was embarrassed,” he replied, adding that he still hasn't told his mother the full extent of what happened.