Former teacher gets house arrest for sexually explicit Facebook messages
Posted May 12, 2010 05:32:36 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A former Dartmouth teacher has been sentenced to a curfew and house arrest for his role in sexually explicit electronic conversations instigated by a former student.
The Crown says he should have known better, even though the student started the conversations.
Mickael Smith, 30, was a teacher at John Martin Junior High in Dartmouth when his 16-year-old former student added him as a friend on Facebook last fall.
The girl started messaging Smith, asking if he was attracted to her, and specifically to what part.
Speaking on CTV, Crown attorney Craig Botterill admits the girl initiated the conversations.
“She had to go to some lengths to try to draw out of the accused the conversation which we’re alleging was criminal in nature,” he said.
The student apparently took it on herself to try to get evidence against smith after an in-person conversation where she poured her heart out, Smith gave her a hug which she said felt “weird.”
The prosecutors and defence agreed the offence was a “low end” form of luring, but Botterrill says Smith was the adult and should have known better.
Smith’s lawyer, Joel Pink, says the judge’s decision is a warning to all teachers to “stay out of Facebook.”
“If in fact you’re going to use Facebook and if you’re going to talk to your students and it has any sexual connotation, be prepared to do jail time,” he said.
Smith pleaded guilty this week to a charge of luring and was sentenced to house arrest for six months, during which he’ll be under a curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. He’s also been ordered to undergo counselling.
