Teacher acquitted of indecent assault

(CNS): A 42-year-old teacher who was accused of indecently assaulting three students in his class was found not guilty by a jury Friday. The five men and one woman delivered unanimous not guilty verdicts on all three counts regarding allegations that the man, who was teaching at John Gray High School, had indecently touched three girls aged 11 and 12 at the time. The girls had described various different types of touching that they said could have appeared almost accidental but it had made them feel uncomfortable.

Each of the girls had reported the incident to friends or family before going to the authorities and there were also other classmates that gave evidence saying they had witnessed the touching

But the jury acquitted the man, who told the court he had been teaching for 22 years in his native Jamaica, the United Kingdom and here since 2010. He claimed the girls had fabricated the story because he had reprimanded them and their friends and threatened to call their parents because the students were badly behaved and disruptive.

Defence attorney Steve McField had represented the teacher. During his closing speech on Thursday, as he appealed to the jury to acquit his client, he had described the students as “vicious little girls” who made up the allegations because he was a strict teacher.

McField said the crown’s case was very weak and the evidence did not support the allegations. As he urged the jury to send his client back home to his own family, he said there was no way that they could not have doubts about the accusations.