Ex-teacher agrees to peace bond over sex charges

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This article was published 20/12/2019 (2112 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A former teacher at the University of Winnipeg Collegiate high school, who was accused of sexually assaulting two students, has had charges against him stayed.

Ishmael Mustapha, 46, appeared in provincial court Thursday. He agreed to enter a one-year peace bond in exchange for prosecutors staying two charges of sexual assault and one charge of sexual exploitation. They involved students who were 16 and 18 at the time of the alleged incidents in 2016 and 2018..

Mustapha left the collegiate shortly after the beginning of the 2018-19 school year.

Mustapha’s lawyer, Saul Simmonds, told court the peace bond agreement came after “lengthy discussions” with the Crown. Simmonds said Mustapha “expressly denied” the allegations against him and had completed counselling.

Under terms of the peace bond, Mustapha must have no contact with the two women and stay 100 metres away from their homes, schools, and places of work or worship.

Crown attorney Marnie Evans told court Mustapha had completed a “restorative justice process,” with the peace bond being the “final stage.”

Court did not hear what considerations went into the peace bond discussions between the Crown and defence. Lawyers for both the Crown and defence did not return calls Friday.

Neither of the women at the centre of the allegations cold be reached for comment Friday.

At the time of his arrest last July, at least two other women had come forward with allegations against Mustapha.

Court records show the former math teacher and boys soccer coach had been ordered to have no contact with two other women who had also been his students.

One of them alleged he groomed her when she was a 16-year-old student, offering her presents, money, better grades and volunteer opportunities, all of which she found inappropriate.

“He always texted all the students,” the woman told the Free Press in July, when she was 20 years old. “He would start off by making comments about my physical appearance every now and then and would buy me presents.”

She said other comments, both by text and in person, warned about boys’ motives, were critical of other students, mentioned the possibility of better grades or were about cheating on his wife.

She alleged at the end of the school year, he texted her to say he loved her and wanted to leave his wife. She said she blocked his number.

“He found other ways to message me, apologizing later, saying that he didn’t want to ruin our friendship, which is already very delusional – because you’re my teacher, we weren’t friends. But in his mind, he thought so.”

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca