A disturbing and terrible period of time for a number of students, parents and staff at Charles Hays Secondary has come to a legal conclusion in Prince Rupert courts.
The trial of former teacher, Michael Anthony Kolesar came to an end on Tuesday as the former teacher was sentenced to five years in prison, for sexually assaulting students at the school.
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The shocking revelations of last year, called attention to every parent’s nightmare and one that is always a serious concern for School District 52 staff and officials.
Kolesar was charged in March of 2007 and terminated from his position with the School District in November that year.
In January of this year, as the police investigation continued, the School District was doing its best to reassure parents and students that the best interests of their students were their top priority.
TV 7 provided details on the final outcome of the trial and the sentencing which took place this morning.
Update: September 11, CBC News-- The CBC provided their own story on the sentencing of Mr. Kolesar, including the reaction of the School District to the end of the trial, thier posted story provided the opportunity for readers to comment on the issue, which many did. (see link here)
Teacher Sentenced for Sex Assaults
Tue, 2008-09-09 17:32.
Local News
A former Prince Rupert high school teacher has been sentenced to five years in prison for sexually assaulting students.
Michael Anthony Kolesar heard the decision from a B.C. Supreme Court Judge in Prince Rupert this morning.
He'd pleaded guilty earlier to two counts of sexual assault.
Kolesar was a grade 10 life skills teacher at Charles Hays Secondary School until he was fired last November.
He admitted in court to assaulting two of his students over a number of years.
Families of the victims in court today appeared satisfied with the sentence.
A psychiatric report stated Kolesar is confused about his sexuality but he is not a deviant or pedophile.
The court was told Kolesar, who is now in his late 50's, was born and raised in Victoria by an extremely violent father and an ill mother who couldn't help him.
Prince Rupert teacher gets 5 years for sexual abuse of special needs students
Last Updated: Thursday, September 11, 2008 2:02 PM ET
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CBC News
A teacher in Prince Rupert, B.C., has been sentenced to five years in jail for sexually assaulting two female special-needs students for more than 10 years.
Michael Anthony Kolesar, 58, pleaded guilty to sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a person with a disability after his arrest in March 2007.
For years, the popular teacher coached sports at Charles Hays Secondary School in Prince Rupert and taught life skills to special-needs students .
The sexual abuse began when the girls were just five or six years old and occurred mostly in the victims' homes and not on school property, according to school superintendent Eric Mercer.
Mercer said he found the crime disturbing and was shocked by Kolesar's arrest because he had a solid reputation in the community.
"The fact that the children have disabilities and perhaps were not able to resist or understand the situation in my mind this is a particularly heinous crime," Mercer said Wednesday.
Mercer said the school district's response has been "low-key and respectful," partly because Kolesar's wife is a teacher in the city, his daughter has just graduated from the high school and the family has been involved in the community for years.
He said students won't receive any special counselling and teachers won't face more scrutiny.
Another teacher from the same Prince Rupert school is facing charges in an unrelated case for allegedly sexually exploiting three students.
Dana Allison Monteith, 37, a male physics teacher who headed the high school's science department, was charged in December 2007 with three counts of sexual exploitation of a young person. That case involves three students.
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1 comment:
I can't understand why he only got 5 yrs when he had been abusing these youths for 10 yrs. The fact that his wife was caught red handed destroying evidence on their computer was evident she knew and agreed on what he was doing, He had even told in questioning his and his wife love life was way better when she knew about it. How can everybody be blind to this and continue to let her teach in the elementary school in Prince Rupert?
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