A civil lawsuit brought by a man who claims a retired Victoria teacher groomed and sexually abused him when he was 12 is in B.C. Supreme Court this week.
The Greater Victoria School District is named as a defendant, along with Gary John Redgate and William Haisell. Justice Simon Coval is hearing the case in Victoria.
A notice of civil claim in the case was filed Jan. 11, 2021, with an amended claim filed June 3 of that year.
The plaintiff, known only as H.N. in the claim, was a student initially at Braefoot Elementary School, and later at Cedar Hill Junior High School, both in Victoria.
The claim alleges that in or around 2000, H.D., then 12 and in Grade 6, had an interest in writing a book.
The claims say Haisell, the plaintiff’s teacher, referred H.D. to Redgate, whom he represented to be a retired teacher and volunteer, to assist H.D. with editing and structure.
“The defendant Haisell informed the plaintiff that the defendant Redgate was a nice older man who needed something to keep him busy since retiring,” the claim said.
It further asserts that Haisell knew or ought to have known that Redgate had a history of mental-health problems that he failed to disclose to H.D. or his parents or the district, and that he knew, or ought to have known, that Redgate’s mental health condition posed a risk of harm to the child.
Starting in the spring of 2000, Redgate expressed romantic feelings toward the child, court documents say.
“There was a dominant, continuous sexualized tone to Redgate’s communications with the plaintiff. Redgate proposed a sexual relationship and confessed he felt ‘shameful’ of these feelings,” the claim said. “He proposed numerous activities to ‘take the pressure off.’ ”
The alleged abuse included groping, touching and the exposure of genitals to H.D.
The claim alleges those activities constituted trespass to the person, breach of fiduciary duty, intentional infliction of mental suffering, sexual assault and battery.
“At all times material to the grooming and the abuse, Redgate, as an adult, a school volunteer, and a mentor to the plaintiff, was a person in a position of trust, power, and/or authority over the plaintiff, and the plaintiff, a child, was in a position of dependency and vulnerability,” the claim says.
The claim says Haisell failed to follow district policies in making the referral and failed to ensure Redgate was supervised.
Among the injuries H.D. claims in the suit are post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, depressive and anxiety symptoms, an impaired ability to trust and be intimate with others,sleep disturbance, nightmares and sexual dysfunction.
