WINNIPEG - Manitoba justice officials have agreed to release an 18-year-old man from jail following his arrest earlier this week on sexual assault charges connected to St. John's-Ravenscourt School.
The man was granted bail Friday morning, with the consent of the Crown attorney, on several strict conditions including a $10,000 surety, nightly curfew of 10 p.m. and an order to turn over his passport to Winnipeg police. He must also have no contact with any current SJR students. The man, who is originally from China, has no prior criminal record.
The Free Press is not naming the suspect to avoid identifying the alleged victim, who was his roommate at the private boarding school.
The suspect's release comes after three youth co-accused were granted bail – despite objections from the Crown – Thursday afternoon at the Manitoba Youth Centre.
Police are continuing to investigate and are expected to make at least two more arrests, court was told. Police say they will be interviewing other potential victims and further charges could be laid.
All four have been charged with sexual assault with a weapon, forcible confinement, and uttering threats. It's alleged the senior boarding students threatened the younger male boarders, holding them down and placing a wooden stick against their buttocks, in incidents that took place between September and December. As many as 15 students may have been targeted.
The Winnipeg Police child-abuse and sex-crimes units are handling the investigation.
Two of the accused voluntarily withdrew from the school Tuesday after a disciplinary committee recommended expulsion. Two more, who were suspended for five days last week, will not be allowed to return to school until CFS officials clear it.
A justice source told the Free Press the charges announced Thursday relate to a single incident involving a roommate of one of the four teen suspects. The charges came to light only after an SJR teacher allegedly overheard a remark made by a student that led to further questions, said the source.
This article implies that the youth should have been held in custody, however; I feel that this was the right decision in granting him bail, as he has no prior record and is subject to strict conditions. There is no reason to hold him in custody. It's more likely to cause more criminal behaviour anyways. Prison is damaging.
Rush to injustice?
Rush to injustice?
We are witnessing a media and legal feeding frenzy over alleged sexual assault by students at St. John's Ravenscourt School. Perhaps we should slow down on a rush to injustice.
Perhaps we should consider that not all legally defined sexual assault is of the same nature. Perhaps we are imagining, and the media are implying, much worse behaviour than actually took place.
Perhaps we should consider that many adolescents act irresponsibly at times and in hurtful ways that do not lead to lasting harm. Perhaps they require some punishment and rebuke to correct their behaviour, and discourage others to act the same, but should that involve jail?
Perhaps we should consider the harm done to children chewed up and spat out by the gears of the legal system, lubricated by the mainstream media. Everyone seems to love a scandalous story to show how compassionate they are.
Perhaps much more harm is being done now than anything that occurred prior to this media and legal frenzy.
Perhaps none of us yet know what really happened, but we imagine all sorts of terrible things that likely did not occur.
Perhaps cool and reasonable heads will prevail and justice will be done.
I cannot say that I am optimistic. Political correctness, when mixed with superior moralizing and cynical media obsession, rarely leads to anything good.
Rush to injustice?
Rush to injustice?
We are witnessing a media and legal feeding frenzy over alleged sexual assault by students at St. John's Ravenscourt School. Perhaps we should slow down on a rush to injustice.
Perhaps we should consider that not all legally defined sexual assault is of the same nature. Perhaps we are imagining, and the media are implying, much worse behaviour than actually took place.
Perhaps we should consider that many adolescents act irresponsibly at times and in hurtful ways that do not lead to lasting harm. Perhaps they require some punishment and rebuke to correct their behaviour, and discourage others to act the same, but should that involve jail?
Perhaps we should consider the harm done to children chewed up and spat out by the gears of the legal system, lubricated by the mainstream media. Everyone seems to love a scandalous story to show how compassionate they are.
Perhaps much more harm is being done now than anything that occurred prior to this media and legal frenzy.
Perhaps none of us yet know what really happened, but we imagine all sorts of terrible things that likely did not occur.
Perhaps cool and reasonable heads will prevail and justice will be done.
I cannot say that I am optimistic. Political correctness, when mixed with superior moralizing and cynical media obsession, rarely leads to anything good.
Four teens charged in the alleged sexual assault of fellow students at a Winnipeg private school have been released from jail.
They were arrested Wednesday as part of a police investigation into several alleged incidents at St. John's-Ravenscourt.
All four accused — two aged 16, one who is 17, and one who is 18 — were students at the prestigious school in Winnipeg's Wildwood neighbourhood.
They have each been charged with sexual assault with a weapon, forcible confinement, and uttering threats.
CBC News has also learned the police may be looking for two more suspects in the case.
The investigation is continuing by the police service's child abuse unit and sex crimes unit.
As part of their release, the teens face strict conditions, which prohibit them from having any contact with other SJR students.
They are also required to abide by a curfew from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and pay a $10,000 surety.
The 18-year-old, who is a landed immigrant, has also surrendered his passport and moved into a home belonging to family friends in Winnipeg.
Threats of sodomy
The alleged assaults date back to last fall but only came to light last week.
Neither the school nor the police have revealed the nature of the incidents, but CBC News has learned they allegedly involved threats of sodomy toward younger students by the four who have been charged.
The older boys allegedly pinned the younger ones on the floor and removed their pants. A walking stick was allegedly held near the anus of each victim.
Court documents filed in regard to the adult's case confirm that police believe the victims were forcibly confined and assaulted with a "wooden stick."
As many as 15 students were reportedly abused.
All of the boys involved — the accused and the alleged victims — were boarders at the school, which goes from kindergarten to Grade 12. The alleged victims were in Grades 8 to 10, CBC News has been told.
Four male students have been charged with sexual assault at St. John's-Ravenscourt private school in Winnipeg.
The students — two 16-year-olds, a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old — have all been charged with sexual assault with a weapon, forcible confinement, and uttering threats, police said Thursday.
Three of the students are youths who are in custody at the Manitoba Youth Centre.
The 18-year-old is at the Winnipeg Remand Centre. The young man appeared briefly in court by a video link from an interview room at the jail Thursday morning on the expectation he would apply for bail.
'He's sitting in a jail for the very first time in his life, so it's expected that he'll be a little bit unsettled by that experience.'—Defence lawyer Sheldon Pinx
However, the presiding judge agreed to the Crown's request for more time to prepare for the hearing. Information about the case had only been forwarded by police to prosecutors about 10 minutes prior to his appearance, court was told.
The Crown will oppose his release, and the judge heard that prosecutors will argue that releasing the man would harm the public's confidence in the justice system.
Being behind bars will likely be jarring for the young man, defence lawyer Sheldon Pinx said.
"My client is only 18," Pinx said. "Needless to say, he's never been involved in the justice system before ... he's sitting in a jail for the very first time in his life, so it's expected that he'll be a little bit unsettled by that experience."
A special hearing will be held Friday for the man to apply for bail. The youths charged will appear in youth court at 2 p.m. Thursday.
The investigation is continuing by the police service's child abuse unit and sex crimes unit, and additional charges are pending.
Victims confined by force: police
The alleged assaults date back to last fall but only came to light last week, according to SJR headmaster Stephen Johnson.
Neither the school nor the police have revealed the nature of the incidents, but CBC News has learned they allegedly involved threats of sodomy toward younger students by the four who have been charged.
The older boys allegedly pinned the younger ones on the floor and removed their pants. A walking stick was allegedly held near the anus of a victim as he was threatened with sodomy. Court documents filed in regard to the adult's case confirm that police believe the victims were forcibly confined and assaulted with a "wooden stick."
As many as 15 students were reportedly abused.
All of the boys involved — the accused and the alleged victims — were boarders at the school, which goes from kindergarten to Grade 12. The alleged victims were in Grades 8 to 10, CBC News has been told.
Suspensions indefinite
The four students were immediately suspended when the school learned of the allegations last Friday.
School administrators contacted Winnipeg police earlier this week. The provincial Department of Child and Family Services is also involved.
Two of the students were told by school officials Monday they would be expelled, but were given the option to appeal or voluntarily withdraw.
They chose to leave on their own and complete their courses online or by mail, officials said, noting the boys would not receive diplomas from the school but rather a Manitoba high school certificate if they graduate.
The two other students, whom police said are from out of province, were initially given a five-day suspension.
However, Johnson said on Thursday that the suspensions have been extended indefinitely. Even if granted bail by the courts, they will not be allowed back to school, Johnson said.
Of the two students expelled, one was originally an international boarder but his family now lives in Winnipeg. The other is from Alberta.
Confidence shaken
Many parents who spoke with CBC News about the incidents believe the school is still a safe place and commended administrators and staff for taking such quick action.
But the confidence of at least one parent has been shaken. Yan Jiang is having second thoughts about registering her eight-year-old son at SJR.
'I can't tell you this is a safe place for your son or somebody else's son … until we do a debrief of how this happened'—SJR headmaster Stephen Johnson
"If the school is not safe, what's the point of sending your son to a place that is in danger?" she said.
Even Johnson said he can't give Jiang any assurances. The fact the boarding students kept the alleged incidents a secret for so many months means something went terribly wrong, he said.
"I can't tell you this is a safe place for your son or somebody else's son … until we do a debrief of how this happened," he said.
"We're not going to know until we … start talking about the details of what each of those boys felt and why they couldn't come forward."
Administrators are taking steps to try to prevent such incidents in the future. That includes counselling for students on how to deal with any situations they encounter.
The school is located at 400 South Dr., on the banks of the Red River, in the city's Wildwood neighbourhood.
According to its website, the school has 830 students with boarding arrangements available for about 50 students.
The cost to board at the prestigious school, which dates back to 1820, ranged in the current academic year from $30,000 to $40,000 per student.
Tuition for students who attended the school but did not board there ranged from $13,000 to nearly $17,000, depending on their grade level.
Two students have been expelled from a prestigious Winnipeg private school for allegedly assaulting fellow students and threatening to sodomize them with a walking stick.
The students had already been suspended from St. John's-Ravenscourt, but a disciplinary committee took the rare step of kicking them out of the prestigious school, said SJR headmaster Stephen Johnson.
Two other students were also suspended but will be allowed to return to school after they serve a five-day penalty, said Johnson.
CBC News has learned that the allegations against the students involve threats of sodomy by older male students toward younger boys.
As many as 15 students were reportedly abused.
The older boys allegedly pinned down the younger ones on the floor and removed their pants. A walking stick was allegedly held near the anus of a victim as he was threatened with sodomy.
The school has not revealed the nature of the alleged assaults but recently contacted Winnipeg police. The child abuse unit has since launched an investigation.
The provincial Department of Child and Family Services is also involved.
The school told the two students on Monday that they would be expelled, then gave them the option to appeal or voluntarily withdraw. The students chose to leave on their own and complete their courses online or by mail. School officials said the boys would not receive diplomas from the school, but rather a Manitoba high school certificate.
Neither of the students are from Manitoba; one of them is not Canadian.
In the letters, which were obtained by CBC News, the headmaster urges parents to trust the school to deal with the matter appropriately, but to understand why no details would be shared.
The school says students and parents affected by the incidents would be offered counselling.
Police are also not releasing any details about their investigation.
The assaults allegedly occurred sometime in the fall but only came to light last week.
The school is located at 400 South Dr., on the banks of the Red River, in the city's Wildwood neighbourhood.
According to its website, the school has 830 students in kindergarten to Grade 12, with boarding arrangements available for about 50 students.
The cost to board at the prestigious school, which dates back to 1820, ranged in the current academic year from $30,000 to $40,000 per student.
Tuition for students who attended the school but did not board there ranged from $13,000 to nearly $17,000, depending on their grade level.
The students had already been suspended from St. John's-Ravenscourt, but a disciplinary committee took the rare step of kicking them out of the prestigious school, said SJR headmaster Stephen Johnson.
Two other students were also suspended but will be allowed to return to school after they serve a five-day penalty, said Johnson.
CBC News has learned that the allegations against the students involve threats of sodomy by older male students toward younger boys.
As many as 15 students were reportedly abused.
The older boys allegedly pinned down the younger ones on the floor and removed their pants. A walking stick was allegedly held near the anus of a victim as he was threatened with sodomy.
The school has not revealed the nature of the alleged assaults but recently contacted Winnipeg police. The child abuse unit has since launched an investigation.
The provincial Department of Child and Family Services is also involved.
The school told the two students on Monday that they would be expelled, then gave them the option to appeal or voluntarily withdraw. The students chose to leave on their own and complete their courses online or by mail. School officials said the boys would not receive diplomas from the school, but rather a Manitoba high school certificate.
Neither of the students are from Manitoba; one of them is not Canadian.
Letters sent to parents
Two letters recently sent by Johnson to parents noted the suspensions were handed out on April 7 following an incident involving several students.In the letters, which were obtained by CBC News, the headmaster urges parents to trust the school to deal with the matter appropriately, but to understand why no details would be shared.
The school says students and parents affected by the incidents would be offered counselling.
Police are also not releasing any details about their investigation.
The assaults allegedly occurred sometime in the fall but only came to light last week.
The school is located at 400 South Dr., on the banks of the Red River, in the city's Wildwood neighbourhood.
According to its website, the school has 830 students in kindergarten to Grade 12, with boarding arrangements available for about 50 students.
The cost to board at the prestigious school, which dates back to 1820, ranged in the current academic year from $30,000 to $40,000 per student.
Tuition for students who attended the school but did not board there ranged from $13,000 to nearly $17,000, depending on their grade level.
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