A Durban swimming instructor, accused of six counts of sexual assault, has been hospitalised, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Friday.

Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said it was not known what the man had been hospitalised for, but the Mercury newspaper reported that he had allegedly tried to commit suicide.

Mdunge said the case had been forwarded to a senior public prosecutor for decision on whether to press ahead with the matter or not.

The six sexual assault cases were opened by concerned parents who believed their daughters, aged between three and four, had been molested by the well-known swimming coach.

The parents became suspicious after their children began to imitate adult sexual behavior, allegedly learnt during their swimming lesson.

Sapa