Judge rejects ‘brother-sister’ explanation, convicts ex-teacher of child luring in relationship with girl, 14

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/07/2023 (863 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A former Interlake-area teacher has been convicted of child luring after a judge rejected his claim his relationship with a 14-year-old girl was that of a “big brother and little sister.”

The case against 30-year-old Kevin Braun consisted largely of thousands of text messages sent over the span of eight months detailing an emotionally intimate relationship and discussion of secret meetings where they would hug.

While none of the messages were sexually explicit, “I am satisfied the purpose of the communications were to groom the (victim) for eventual touching of a sexual nature,” provincial court Judge Cindy Sholdice said Thursday.

“It’s clear from reviewing the communications that Mr. Braun was testing the (victim), seeing if she would meet with him, gaining her trust, normalizing physical contact,” Sholdice said.

Braun, who was arrested in July 2020, is fighting the conviction and will argue it should be tossed out for undue delay. A hearing date for the delay motion has not been set.

Braun’s conviction exceeds the 18-month time limit for charges to be resolved, as set out in the 2016 Supreme Court of Canada “Jordan” decision.

Court heard Braun met the victim when she was in Grade 7 and he was a substitute teacher. When the girl moved to a different school the following year, the two began messaging each other over Instagram and text, more than 7,000 messages in all between July 2019 and March 2020.

The messages included evidence of the two sharing lunch together at Braun’s home, watching a movie at the girl’s home when her parents were away, time together in a hotel room during a school sports trip, secret meetings to share hugs and warnings from Braun that the girl be careful no one find out about their relationship and “get the wrong impression.”

In one message, Braun, married at the time and expecting a child, told the girl she was his “favourite person ever,” and in another that he “freakin love(d)” her.

Braun testified at trial, claiming there was no sexual intent to his relationship with the girl, which blossomed after she helped him establish a rapport with other students and he helped her improve her confidence.

Braun “acknowledged in his evidence looking back that he and (the victim) being in the presence of each other outside of school was inappropriate,” but did not believe at the time he was doing anything wrong, Sholdice said.

It was “beyond belief” that Braun would not know he had crossed relationship boundaries with the girl, the judge said, rejecting his claim that he did not actively seek out her attention.

Even when rumours began to circulate in the community about his relationship with the girl, he “pushed forward anyway,” she said.

“Mr. Braun’s hunger for the (victim’s) attention was clear from the start,” she said. “The communications illustrate that their relationship was far more intimate and exceeded the boundaries of two people simply being friends.”

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca