Chase guidance counsellor acquitted of sexual assault charge
KAMLOOPS — Tears filled the eyes of a guidance counsellor for a school in Chase after learning he was acquitted of a sexual assault charge against one of his students.
The man, who CFJC Today is not naming to protect the identity of the complainant in the case, faced charges after a student came forward saying he had touched her sexually on two separate occasions. He was charged with one count of sexual interference and one count of sexual assault.
A student testified that she sought guidance from the counsellor, who also taught at the school. The allegations stemmed from an incident when she left her water bottle in the teacher’s classroom.
She went back near the end of the day to retrieve it, which is when the man allegedly rubbed her back and touched her buttocks. Kamloops Provincial Court Judge Marianne Armstrong said in her verdict today (Nov. 27), that the girl testified during trial that she walked out of the classroom after the incident, but a few days later the counsellor called her out of class and into his office for an appointment.