By Canadian Press

St. Michael’s sex assault trial to hear more of complainant’s police statement

Dec 3, 2020 | 1:05 AM

The trial of a teen boy accused of sexually assaulting two fellow students at a renowned Toronto high school is set to continue today.

The teen has pleaded not guilty to two counts each of gang sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon and assault with a weapon in connection with two incidents at St. Michael’s College School in the fall of 2018.

Earlier this week, court viewed part of a video in which one of the complainants, also a teen boy, told police about an October 2018 incident in the school’s locker room.

In the video, the complainant recalled hearing a group of students laugh as they held back his arms and sexually assaulted him with a broom handle after football practice.

The role of the accused was not specified in the portion of the video played in court, and the complainant did not mention him by name in that part of the footage.

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More of the video is expected to be shown in today’s hearing, which is taking place in court and over videoconference.

Court has heard there were two sexual assaults on campus in 2018 when boys involved with a school football team pinned down two different victims and sexually assaulted them with a broom handle in a locker room.

Three teens have already pleaded guilty to sexual assault with a weapon and assault with a weapon for their roles in the incidents and have been sentenced to two years of probation.

One of them also pleaded guilty to making child pornography for recording one of the sex assaults in a video that was then shared within the school and beyond.

Another student received a two-year probationary sentence with no jail time after pleading guilty. The charges against two other students were dropped.

None of the teens involved in the case – including the accused, the complainants and some witnesses – can be identified under prov.isions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The trial began in March but was on hold for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2020

The Canadian Press