Former teacher sent more than 150 ‘romantic’ messages to teen student, court told

A former Catholic school teacher who sent inappropriate “romantic” messages to a teenage student, professing he loved her, should go to prison for 30 months, a judge was told Tuesday.

Ketan Badiani, 59, previously pleaded guilty to one count of child luring connected to more than 150 messages he sent the girl between October 2024 and March 2025 while a teacher at St. Maurice School.

“It’s very clear the communications were beyond what’s appropriate and by pleading guilty he’s admitting his intention was to further a secondary offence,” Crown attorney Brett Rach told provincial court Judge Tim Killeen, arguing Badiani was grooming the girl so he could sexually exploit her.

Badiani communicated with the girl over the school’s Microsoft Teams account, messaging her at all times of the day and night and during holidays.

“This allowed him to access her at all times under the guise of school,” Rach said. “It would have instilled in (the girl) the belief she had no ability to get away from Mr. Badiani.”

Badiani sent the girl messages telling her she was beautiful, that he loved her, that she “looked good in blue” and that he missed her, “all interwoven with discussions about schoolwork and tests,” Rach said.

In one message, Badiani told the girl to change her answers on a test so she could get a better mark; in others he shared information about other students and the marks they were receiving. In another he told her he bought her chocolates for Valentine’s Day.

“It is quite clear he is treating her different and as more special than the rest of the class,” Rach said.

Badiani was aware his “interactions” with the girl had “crossed boundaries,” Rach said, pointing to a December 2024 message in which he told her they “needed to be careful, because she was a student and he was a teacher.”

“This implies a level of secrecy was required,” Rach said.

Badiani continued to message the girl, despite her plea that he stop, Rach said. The girl eventually reported Badiani to school authorities and he was placed on administrative leave March 17, 2025.

The girl told police “she only complained of what happened when he persisted and wouldn’t stop” and did not want to see him fired, Rach said.

Badiani had been warned about concerning communications with another student at a school where he was previously employed, Rach said.

“One would have thought that warning about appropriate boundaries would have been enough to moderate his behaviour, particularly when it results in him losing his job,” he said.

Badiani’s messages included no explicit language or references to sex and were sent via the school’s own messaging system, making them available for review by school administrators, said defence lawyer Josh Weinstein.

Badiani’s messages to the girl “began appropriately and, as admitted, became persistent and romantic,” said Weinstein, who recommended Badiani be sentenced to two years less a day house arrest.

“There is not a single explicit sexual message” or suggestion that Badiani and the girl move their conversation to a more private platform, Weinstein said.

“The entire course of conduct takes place on the employee’s own monitored platform,” he said.

A psychiatrist who examined Badiani provided a report to court suggesting his actions were not sexually motivated and instead driven by loneliness.

“This is essentially a lonely man’s unreciprocated and entirely non-sexual declaration on a monitored school platform,” Weinstein said. “There is no question it is blameworthy and he accepts that.”

Badiani told court he was “extremely sorry” for the harm he caused the girl and her family.

“I am very remorseful for any difficulties that she has endured because of my actions,” he said.

Killeen is expected to sentence Badiani later this summer or in early fall.

Badiani remains free on bail.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca