Deborah Ashton, 43, faces charges of invitation to sexual touching, sexual assault and touching for sexual purposes a person under 14 years.Deborah Ashton, 43, faces charges of invitation to sexual touching, sexual assault and touching for sexual purposes a person under 14 years. (CBC)

A female vice-principal and teacher at an elementary school in Vernon, B.C., has been charged with three sex-related offences involving a student under the age of 14, police said.

Deborah Ashton, 43, appeared in B.C. provincial court in Vernon on Thursday to face charges of invitation to sexual touching, sexual assault and touching for sexual purposes a person under 14 years.

Ashton was vice-principal of Coldstream Elementary School when the alleged offences took place between 2002 and 2005, but the student only came forward in June, Vernon/North Okanagan RCMP Sgt. David Evans said Friday.

Ashton has since been suspended from teaching. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 22.

The exact age or identity of the student was not released.

Superintendent Bob Peacock said the Vernon School District was made aware of the allegations and took immediate steps to ensure students' safety was never at risk.

"Miss Ashton is not currently teaching at our schools," Peacock said.

Evans said the case is far from closed, because investigators are still trying to determine if this was an isolated case or if there were other incidents.

"With this case now being public, there could be other victims come forward," he said.

The charges were laid the same day it was revealed that a female teacher in Burnaby was under RCMP investigation for allegedly having sexual relations with a Grade 11 student.

Corrections and Clarifications

  • RCMP have not revealed whether the alleged victim was a boy or a girl, contrary to what was originally reported. Oct. 10, 2008 | 3:30 p.m. ET