Accused teacher claims 'love' for female student
Last Updated: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 | 9:48 AM AT
CBC News
A Moncton teacher accused of sexually exploiting a female student told a jury that he's still in love with the girl.
Chris Andre Cassidy, 37, and the girl, who cannot be identified, both testified Tuesday about their relationship.
Cassidy is on trial for a charge of sexually exploiting a female student while in a position of trust as a teacher at Harrison Trimble in 2004 and 2005. He has been suspended from his job, and has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The girl testified that she met Cassidy in Grade 9 when she was 14 and he was her math teacher. She says her feelings for him developed over the next couple of years.
Cassidy testified that the two talked occasionally, and then when the girl was 16 and in Grade 11, they went in-line skating at the Moncton Coliseum. He says that's when the attraction hit him. Cassidy was 35 years old when the relationship began.
Both he and the girl testified they became a couple in the fall of 2004, and then the relationship became physical.
The two also testified that they went out in public, going to a bar in downtown Moncton on several occasions.
They sometimes met at his house, her parents' house, or on a couple of occasions a hotel room.
In April 2005, the girl's friends expressed concerns about a possible relationship to the school principal.
Cassidy says he spoke to the principal, but denied anything was going on.
The relationship finally ended in August 2005, when police were brought in to investigate.
When asked if he loved the girl, who is now 18, Cassidy said "Yes."
The defence lawyer says Cassidy was not the girl's teacher when the relationship took place and the relationship should not be considered a breach of trust.
But the Crown says as a teacher, Cassidy violated his position of authority.
The jury will hear final arguments and is expected to render a verdict on Wednesday.
