A teacher’s aide at a prominent Upper West Side elementary school was hauled into court today after he was arrested for alleged sexual abuse of an 8-year-old student inside the school.
A confused-looking Gregory Atkins, 56 — wearing a grey sweat shirt and green jail khakis — listened as a prosecutor gave a horrifically graphic account of his alleged assaults on the boy at P.S. 87.
Judge Michael Sonberg set bail at $250,000.
Prosecutors said on Feb. 2 Atkins attacked the small child in the bathroom four separate times and once in an empty auditorium.
“He took the victim out of class on several occasions and he brought him to the boys bathroom and had him undress,” Assistant District Attorney Lauren Gretina said.
The accused creep then made the boy strip in order to “check for bruises,” according to the criminal complaint.
Inside the auditorium prosecutors said Atkins gave explicit directions to the little boy before attempting oral sex act, according to the complaint.
The child, prosecutors said, alerted adults immediately.
An investigation was conducted by the schools’ special investigator.
Atkins was assigned to the child involved in the incident who has a disability. “This man was in a position of authority with the victim,” Gretina said.
“A teacher did in fact tell the defendant that he was spending too much time with the child,” said Adkin’s attorney Virginia Lopreto.
But Lopreto said he did not spend an inordinate amount of time with the boy.
“It is his job to be with the child day in and day out,” she said.
An order of protection was issued to the victim.
cgiove@nypost.com