Former Nanaimo teacher jailed for possession of child exploitation material

“While I understand the impacts of Mr. Gilkes day-to-day functioning and limitations, I have no medical evidence to support that Mr. Gilkes’ cerebral palsy would render a custodial sentence that much more onerous for him than for other offenders, nor do I have any evidence that Mr. Gilkes’ healthcare needs cannot be met in custody.”

Spier opted on the lower end of jail time than what the Crown wanted, taking into consideration his personal health circumstances and mitigating factors, including a guilty plea, support from his family, cooperating with police, and no prior criminal record.

Crown Counsel’s Jordan Hauschildt asked for 12 to 24 months behind bars and two years of probation, while the defence attorney Janine Sicotte requested a Conditional Sentence Order of 24 months, followed by two years of probation.

Gilkes’ post-release conditions include being unable to go anywhere in public where someone under 16 may be present, no internet access except under strict and supervised conditions, submit a DNA sample.

The offender will appear on the National Sex Offender Registry for 20 years.

He also has a five-year ban on going to public parks, swimming areas, schools, playgrounds, or anywhere someone under 16 years of age may be present.

In a pre-sentence report, Gilkes accepted full responsibility for his actions and expressed remorse, acknowledging the harm he caused and how viewing material containing child sexual abuse was not a victimless crime.

The report also expressed concerns about his seemingly refusal to discuss the charges with his family while awaiting sentencing, and also questioned if his internet use was adequately monitored while living with his parents prior to being sentenced.

His parents said they regularly checked his internet history on the computer in his room, which the report noted can easily be deleted.

The report said Gilkes was considered a low risk for future violent offences and an average risk of reoffending sexually.

In his psychological risk assessment, while the writer noted his responses indicating his “deep remorse” for his actions consistently throughout the report, they “may be invalid”, as he “responded in a manner that is considered as ‘faking good’, or presenting himself in a favourable manner.”

Investigation and Arrest

In December 2022, Nanaimo RCMP received a report from the B.C. Internet Child Exploitation Unit, indicating someone in Nanaimo had uploaded suspected child sex abuse material through the instant messenger app Kik on Dec. 4.

The username, ‘Family Humpin,’ uploaded at least 24 media files, including videos of girls between the ages of six and 12 being sexually abused by adult men, and at least one video of a child being abused by a dog.

The username was connected to Gilkes’ Kennedy St. suite, and an investigation began in January 2023 while Gilkes was working at SD68 at a very of schools.

A June 2023 search warrant revealed 2,425 media files under the the description of child sexual abuse and exploitation material were found on numerous devices at his home.

The files, which included 900 videos, contained highly graphic and damaging images of boys and girls between the approximate ages of three and 16 being sexually abused in various ways by older men, including a 14-second video of a female child approximately 12 to 14 years of age being sexually assaulted by a German Shepherd.

Judge Spier said Gilkes admitted what was in his possession in a sworn statement to police.

“…and that he knew that doing so was wrong. He also acknowledged he had used the identified user name, FamilyHumpin, on Kik. He further acknowledged that he had engaged in trading child sexual abuse exploitation materials with other Kik users.”

Gilkes was indicted when charges were sworn in a Nanaimo court in May 2024, and an arrest warrant was issued.

He appeared voluntarily at a police station in Ontario the following September, where he was living with his family with a judge’s permission, while the investigation was ongoing.

He was released with conditions applied at the time, limiting his movement and internet usage.

History

Born in Newmarket, Ontario, Gilkes was diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy at 18 months old.

Gilkes described a lack of physical affection between his parents and towards him growing up, reporting self-esteem issues early on.

Court heard when Gilkes was 11, an older male cousin forced his penis into the offender’s mouth for approximately 30 seconds before getting dressed.

Gilkes said this is when he began questioning his sexuality, experimenting with another boy when he was 12, and began looking at pornography.

He obtained a university teaching degree as an adult, working with the York Region District School Board until taking a sabbatical and moving to Nanaimo in 2022 in pursuit of a new relationship.

He began working at SD68 as a substitute teacher for kindergarten to grade twelve students while his relationship began to deteriorate.

Court heard it was at this time Gilkes began consuming more online pornography to deal with stress linked to his relationship, including incest pornography with his girlfriend, whom he blames for his age regression.

He began wearing diapers “to feel safe, have a feeling of innocence, and feel younger,” which he said led to a fetish where he would wear diapers while viewing child sexual abuse and exploitation material and masturbate two to three times a day.

“Mr. Gilkes described that while living in Nanaimo, he feels the psychological abuse he felt by his then-girlfriend and her mother impacted him at a time when he says his self-worth was very low, and he lacked support in his life,” said Spier.

Following his arrest in June 2023, Gilkes returned to Ontario and resumed his teaching role with the York Region District School Board, without informing them of the charges he faced in B.C., including the court-ordered conditions he’s not allowed on school property or near anyone under the age of 16.

The psychological risk assessment report said he admitted to being sexually attracted to “females between the ages of 15 and 18”, something judge Spier said made his return to teaching in Ontario a serious aggravating factor.

“Mr. Gilkes maintained a position of trust and power over this age while working as a high school teacher, which is concerning,” the report read. “When he returned to Ontario, he continued to work for the school board as a teacher, without sharing his index offence with anyone. These factors suggest that he did not care about the rules or consequences, despite being aware of them.”

Once his offences came to light, he was forced to resign and attempted to take his own life by drinking anti-freeze while standing on railroad tracks.

He was hospitalized and prescribed anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medication

His B.C. teaching license was suspended in June 2024, while his Ontario teaching license was suspended a month later.

He is unemployed and was living with his parents in Ontario prior to sentencing, and has an adult female partner of over two years, who is aware of his offending, albeit not initially.

She and her mother provided letters of support to the Court during sentencing, with the mother stating she would continue to welcome him into her home.

His brother-in-law was present in court and was able to say goodbye prior to Gilkes being led away in handcuffs.

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by Jordan Davidson

Former Nanaimo teacher jailed for possession of child exploitation material

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