Accused in SJR sex-assault case granted bail

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/04/2010 (5742 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG – Manitoba justice officials have agreed to release an 18-year-old man from jail following his arrest earlier this week on sexual assault charges connected to St. John’s-Ravenscourt School.

The man was granted bail Friday morning, with the consent of the Crown attorney, on several strict conditions including a $10,000 surety, nightly curfew of 10 p.m. and an order to turn over his passport to Winnipeg police. He must also have no contact with any current SJR students. The man, who is originally from China, has no prior criminal record.

The Free Press is not naming the suspect to avoid identifying the alleged victim, who was his roommate at the private boarding school.

The suspect’s release comes after three youth co-accused were granted bail – despite objections from the Crown – Thursday afternoon at the Manitoba Youth Centre.

Police are continuing to investigate and are expected to make at least two more arrests, court was told. Police say they will be interviewing other potential victims and further charges could be laid.

All four have been charged with sexual assault with a weapon, forcible confinement, and uttering threats. It’s alleged the senior boarding students threatened the younger male boarders, holding them down and placing a wooden stick against their buttocks, in incidents that took place between September and December. As many as 15 students may have been targeted.

The Winnipeg Police child-abuse and sex-crimes units are handling the investigation.

Two of the accused voluntarily withdrew from the school Tuesday after a disciplinary committee recommended expulsion. Two more, who were suspended for five days last week, will not be allowed to return to school until CFS officials clear it.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

The Warm-Up

Winnipeg Jets Game Days

On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.

Sign up for The Warm-Up

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

A justice source told the Free Press the charges announced Thursday relate to a single incident involving a roommate of one of the four teen suspects. The charges came to light only after an SJR teacher allegedly overheard a remark made by a student that led to further questions, said the source.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.