Hi Mike,Google "Tom Ellison".
This is an interesting case of The Province of BC vs Mr Ellison, who was a high school teacher in the 70's and 80's in Vancouver.
Mr Ellison is charged with 15 counts of gross indencency for having sex with female students ranging in age from 14 years to 18 years while he was between 29 and 40 years of age.
A few of the girls, turned women by the year 2000, made complaints to the VPD starting about 2000 and so he was charged last year. This is a big case in Vancouver at this time, is just wrapping up, and will be judge decided by the middle of December.
Mr Ellison's defence is that there was no law at that time prohibiting sex between teachers and students as there is now, and while his actions were reprehensible, they were not illegal at the time and so he should be found not guilty. He also states that the girls were agreeable participants which made it OK.
The Crown's position is that while sex between teachers and students was not illegal then, gross indencency as determined by community attitudes was, and that Mr Ellison abused his position to take advantage of these young girls.
Some of the women say they were agreeable participants and others say they were not. One point which seems to have escaped everyone's attention is that these were inexperienced girls who did not have the emmotional maturity and experience inorder to make that determination.
In my estimation, the default should always be determined by society as "unwilling" in such situations regardless and I believe Mr Ellison was behaving as a Paedophile. It will be interesting to see the judgement.
I liked your article about why you are involved in this. I don't know who said "evil wins when good men say nothing", but I have always believed it to be true and I commend your efforts.
There is much evil in the world now, but there was far more in years past.
It is only through the efforts of people like you that evil and wrong is reduced today, but there is still much work to be done. Do keep it up.
Bruce
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Bruce Underhill and I were in high school together from September, 1963 to our graduating in June, 1967. We both survived Doc Mile and 1001 other great and not-so-great reminisces. He has an airplane out West and I hope Mar and I get a free ride one day over beautiful British Columbia!
