Family and friends of former soccer coach Frederick Rames, who is accused of sexual assault, appeared in O'ahu Circuit Court yesterday to support a man they say has fallen victim to overzealous police and prosecutors.

More than 20 Rames supporters, most dressed in T-shirts emblazoned with the logo of Rames' Soccer Association for Youth, filled the benches in Circuit Judge Derrick Chan's courtroom.

"We don't believe any of it," said Kim Greenly, 37, Rames' eldest daughter. "He's innocent. Why aren't police going after the guy who gave that one kid VD (venereal disease)? Why is my dad still in jail?"

Greenly and her sister, Lisa Asuncion, 35, joined the supporters in court yesterday.

"It's a witch hunt. You see the support he gets? They (the police, prosecutors and media) don't know him like we do. If not for him, my son would be out on the streets. He taught him confidence," said Elsa Gamponia, a mother of one of Rames' players who has known him for nine years. "I hope the community doesn't judge him, because he's innocent."

Chan confirmed the $1.15 million bail for Rames and set his trial for Dec. 18. Rames appeared via video feed from a room at the O'ahu Community Correctional Center where he is being held in a secured module separate from the general population.

Rames' attorney, William Harrison, reiterated his assertion that police forced his client into admitting he taught some of the boys how to masturbate.

Harrison has also said that all six of the boys Rames is accused of molesting are Marshallese and non-native English speakers and that their version of events was delivered through their parents, who acted as interpreters.

The city prosecutor's office declined comment.

A court document released Oct. 6 stated that Rames gave a voluntary statement to police in which he "admitted to touching" two boys "with his hand and stated he was teaching them how to masturbate."

Police said Rames waived his constitutional right to remain silent and have an attorney present, and made a voluntary statement after he was arrested Sept. 21 on suspicion of sexually assaulting two boys, ages 7 and 12.

The younger boy played on a soccer team coached by Rames and the older boy was a foster child in Rames' care. Rames was charged Sept. 23 with six counts of third-degree sexual assault and released on $150,000 bail.

Rames was arrested again Oct. 5 on charges that he sexually assaulted four other boys.

The new charges involve boys ages 7 to 12 who were allegedly sexually assaulted beginning on July 24, 2002, police said. Two of the boys were in Rames' foster care and two played on a soccer team coached by Rames.

Rames was also charged with three counts of first-degree sexual assault, 14 counts of third-degree sexual assault, and four counts of witness tampering.

The witness-tampering counts result from reports by four of the boys that they had been contacted by Rames after his Sept. 21 arrest. He told them by phone "to lie to the police and to tell the police that he (Rames) never touched them," according to a court document.

A conviction for third-degree sex assault carries a maximum five-year prison sentence; first-degree sexual assault carries a maximum 20-year term.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.