An elementary school teacher who taught at School District No. 46 (SD46) has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual interference and sexual assault.
The male teacher, who was born in 1989, has been charged with two counts, one of sexual interference, which entails touching a person under the age of 16 for sexual purposes, and one of sexual assault, Crown prosecutor Trevor Cockfield told Coast Reporter.
Initially, charges included one count of sexual interference, two counts of sexual exploitation and three counts of sexual assault, but were modified on July 25.
“Beyond that, because the matter is still before the court, I can’t provide anything other about the circumstances,” Cockfield said.
Coast Reporter is not naming the accused, or identifying which school he taught at, as a publication ban is in effect to protect the identity of the complainant.
The charges were made June 22 following a now-closed investigation by the Sunshine Coast RCMP detachment, which started June 2, RCMP media relations officer Const. Karen Whitby said.
On Aug. 15, defence lawyer Claire Hatcher entered a plea of not guilty in Sechelt provincial court. The Crown has proceeded summarily, and the trial is expected to take place in Sechelt. As of Aug. 27, a trial date had yet to be set.
The accused was placed on leave in late June after the school district received information from the RCMP. “We are deeply concerned about the allegation and acted quickly because the safety and well-being of our students and staff are our top priorities,” said SD46 superintendent Patrick Bocking. “In order to protect the integrity of the investigation and uphold privacy, we cannot share any further details.”
The accused holds a valid teacher certificate but has signed an “undertaking not to practice,” effective July 23, and is not authorized to practice, “pending resolution of a matter before the Commissioner or a hearing panel under Part 6 of the Teacher’s Act.”
According to a statement from SD46, “This single incident allegation and investigation is now a criminal justice matter. All questions related to this matter should be addressed to the Crown Counsel.”
