BY KEITH LACEY
A former teacher who sexually assaulted a student should go to jail for nine months and be prohibited from any contact with young girls while on probation, a Sudbury court heard Monday.
After a lengthy trial, Paul Bedard, 40, a former physical education teacher at St. Benedict’s Catholic Secondary School, was found guilty in July of two counts of sexual assault, two counts of sexual exploitation and one count of assault. Both sexual exploitation convictions were stayed conditionally as they emanate from the same set of circumstances as the sexual assaults.
After hearing a full day of submissions, Justice John Poupore of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice said he needed time to consider his decision. He will render his judgement Dec. 5.
Assistant Crown attorney Marc Huneault said Ontario’s highest court has ruled only in the rarest cases should a jail sentence not be imposed against adults in a position of trust who touch children for a sexual purpose and the circumstances of this case cry out for a jail sentence.
Two years ago, Bedard was on trial for sexually assaulting another St. Benedict’s student. All charges were withdrawn near the end of the trial. Bedard tendered his resignation as a teacher before the Crown agreed to have charges withdrawn.
Defence counsel William Markle asked the court to impose a conditional sentence of strict house arrest, saying the circumstances were on the very low end of sexual assaults as they involved only touching.
During his decision in July, Poupore ruled he had no doubt Bedard placed his hand under his victim’s school uniform on three to five occasions in 2001.
Poupore also found Bedard licked the girl’s hand twice while watching a movie with other students. On the assault conviction, Poupore found Bedard picked her up without her permission and moved her several feet to another area of a gymnasium equipment room.
During a victim impact statement, the girl, who is now 19 and attending university in southern Ontario, said Bedard’s breach of trust has affected all aspects of her life.
“The actions of Paul Bedard have had a devastating impact on my life...it has instilled in me a sense of betrayal,” she said.
She considered Bedard a mentor, friend and father figure who she confided in regularly and Bedard “violated that trust I placed in him,” she said.
Five years later, she has a very difficult time trusting any adult male and has lost contact with almost all her high school friends because it brings back bad memories, she said.
The trial process, where her integrity and honesty were put to the test, has been devastating, she said.
“There’s not a day goes by where I don’t remember what Paul Bedard did to me,” she said tearfully. “The pain and hurt he caused is always there...there’s no catharsis and no closure.
“I feel it’s time he should have to deal with the consequences of his actions. I’m sick of being the one who has to.”
Markle produced five character letters, describing Bedard as a hard-working, dedicated and caring teacher who went out of his way to assist students and fellow teachers during his 12-year teaching career.
Bedard was admired, respected and loved by most his students as he was heavily involved in extracurricular activities, including coaching numerous sports teams, said Markle.
Bedard’s sister and wife, who are both teachers, broke down in tears as Markle read letters of support for Bedard.
The publicity, stigma, loss of professional reputation, wages and benefits have all been devastating for his client and family, said Markle.
“In all the circumstances, a period of incarceration is unnecessary,” he said.
Huneault said teachers who abuse students for their own sexual gratification must be punished harshly.
The degree of intrusiveness is not as important as the psychological damage caused to his victim by a man she trusted so much, said Huneault.
This also wasn’t an isolated incident and foolish mistake, but a series of events where Bedard made unwanted and unwarranted sexual advances to a vulnerable young girl, he said.
The fact he committed those acts in the school where he enjoyed such a solid reputation and then threatened her into not telling anyone are aggravating factors, he said.
