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A retired North Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»teacher in his 80s is facing 12 charges of sexual offences against boys, starting in the 1970s.
North Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»RCMP announced Thursday that charges have been laid against Brian Moore, 83, who taught at Upper Lynn Elementary in North Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»in the 1970s and 1980s.
The charges involve allegations of sexual offences against 11 people, who were 11- and 12-year-old boys at the time. The first offence is alleged to have taken place in 1976, and the last is alleged to have happened in 2007, after Moore was a teacher.
Moore taught Grade 6 at the North Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»school between 1970 and 1982.
Const. Mansoor Sahak of the North Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»RCMP said Moore did not teach at any other schools.
Moore was charged Feb. 15 with 10 counts of indecent assault on a male, one count of sexual touching of a child under 14 and one count of sexual assault.
Police initially arrested Moore this summer, after seven victims came forward to police, beginning on June 14.
Moore was later arrested, and police executed a search warrant at his home.
Discussions about the teacher and the assaults began circulating in the summer via social media. Investigators said at the time they believed there were more victims they had not yet spoken to.
Sahak said since the investigation first became public in the summer, North Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»RCMP’s special victims unit has worked to identify several additional victims who came forward and secured evidence to support further charges.
“These investigations are very complex, and they take a very lengthy time and a lot of man hours to complete,” he said.
Sahak said it is relatively rare to see cases involving so many victims of alleged sexual offences by someone in a position of authority coming forward after such a length of time.
“We understand that this news may be upsetting for members of the community and especially for the victims,” said Sahak. “We would like to thank those that came forward to provide statements. Without their courage, we would not be in the position we are in today.”
Sahak said anyone who believes they may have been a victim of the same teacher can contact the RCMP’s victim services unit 24 hours a day at 604-969-7540.