Lawyers make closing arguments at assault trial for former director at Saskatoon Christian school

Hannah Spray · CBC News

· Posted: May 02, 2025 7:18 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

Lawyers person made their closing arguments astatine the proceedings for a erstwhile manager of a backstage Christian schoolhouse successful Saskatoon.

John Olubobokun, 64, is charged with 9 counts of battle with a limb for allegedly utilizing a woody paddle to deed students. The charges day backmost to erstwhile helium was the manager astatine Christian Centre Academy for 4 years starting successful 2003.

The schoolhouse was aboriginal renamed Legacy Christian Academy, past Valour Academy.

The proceedings successful Saskatoon provincial tribunal began in June 2024 with grounds from 9 students and different Crown witnesses, past continued successful March with defence witnesses.

On Friday, defence lawyer Ron Piché argued the grounds Olubobokun gave successful his ain defence, arsenic good arsenic the grounds of different defence witnesses, raises tenable doubt.

"He was precise wide that arsenic director, helium was not liable for this benignant of conduct, this benignant of discipline," Piché said.

Piché questioned wherefore the students didn't spell to their parents oregon to constabulary astatine the clip of the alleged paddlings and wherefore determination are nary photographs of bruising.

Judge Lisa Watson interjected to enactment that Piché's musings were "speculative," peculiarly fixed the insular quality of the assemblage of the schoolhouse and its associated church.

Piché besides insinuated the erstwhile students person a fiscal involvement successful the result of the case, arsenic determination is simply a abstracted civilian lawsuit — a projected class-action suit — against the schoolhouse and connected church.

There was immoderate treatment astir Section 43 of the Criminal Code, which reads: "Every schoolteacher, genitor oregon idiosyncratic lasting successful the spot of a genitor is justified successful utilizing unit by mode of correction toward a pupil oregon child, arsenic the lawsuit whitethorn be, who is nether his care, if the unit does not transcend what is tenable nether the circumstances."

In 2004, a Supreme Court of Canada ruling narrowed the scope of the section, including by saying an entity cannot beryllium used. It defined "reasonable" unit arsenic that which would person a "transitory and trifling" interaction connected the child.

Referencing the usage of objects, Watson asked Piché if helium had immoderate lawsuit instrumentality wherever an instrumentality is utilized and it falls wrong the parameters of Section 43.

"No," Piché answered.

Crown authoritative Sheryl Fillo argued that by virtuousness of the allegations, "with the instrumentality being used," determination is nary defence nether Section 43.

She said it was important for the tribunal to perceive astir the "unique situation" of however the schoolhouse was tally and interconnected with the church, and the consequences students and their full families would look for speaking out. The schoolhouse and the religion are successful the aforesaid building.

"These were radical that were astatine the religion astir regular — at the school, astatine the church, astatine this building, astir daily," Fillo said.

In effect to Piché's notation to the civilian suit, Fillo pointed retired how, during their testimonies, she asked each erstwhile pupil astir erstwhile they decided to travel guardant to police, and that they each had reasons for doing truthful erstwhile they did.

The justice is scheduled to springiness her determination connected July 21.