Teacher who had sex with 17-year-old former student not guilty of sexual exploitation
Jason Selby taught at Western Canada High School in Calgary
A teacher having sex with a 17-year-old former student weeks after she graduated may have been "distasteful, ill-advised or perhaps even immoral" but Jason Selby is not guilty of sexual exploitation, a Calgary judge ruled Friday.
Selby was accused of being in a position of trust or authority over the teen when he first had sex with her on July 7, 2018, a couple of weeks after she graduated from Western Canada High School.
At the time, Selby was 35 years old and a teacher at the school.
The identity of the complainant in this case is protected by a publication ban.
The two began a two-year sexual relationship that continued after she turned 18 that August.
In Canada, the age of consent is 16 years old. But if a person is in a position of trust or authority, their sexual partner must be at least 18 years old.
Parliament didn't define 'cooling off' period
In this case, the sole issue at trial is whether Selby's position of trust or authority continued in the weeks after the complainant graduated between the first sexual encounter and her 18th birthday on Aug. 13, 2018.
Justice Sean Dunnigan ruled that he was left in doubt as to whether Selby remained in a position of trust after graduation.
"The significant age gap between the parties and the existence of a prior teacher/student relationship might make the accused's decision to begin an intimate relationship so quickly after graduation appear on its face to be unseemly, distasteful, ill-advised or perhaps even immoral," wrote Dunnigan.
"However, neither Parliament nor the courts have sought to prohibit a teacher absolutely from having a relationship with a former student or to define a socially acceptable 'cooling-off' period."
Selby 'very emotional'
After the decision was handed down, defence lawyer Alain Hepner said he was "pleased" with the verdict and said his client is "very emotional."
"It's been a long, drawn-out process," he said. "It's been three years in trial and it's a roller-coaster."
Selby was the complainant's homeroom teacher in grades 10 and 11. He also taught her Grade 12 English in the fall semester of 2017.
The piecemeal trial took place over a number of dates in 2023 and 2024.
'Hallmarks of concern' absent
In his acquittal of Selby, Justice Dunnigan noted the accused did not groom the complainant during her time as a student, pointing out several "hallmarks of concerns expressed by the courts" that are absent in this case, including:
- A childhood bond with the accused from a young age.
- Parental entrustment.
- The complainant being dependent on the accused for emotional support.
- A power imbalance beyond their age difference.
- Evidence of prior intimacy or sexual activity during their pre-existing relationship.
- Authority or control over the complainant.
- A particular naivete, vulnerability or weakness on the part of the complainant.
During the trial, the judge heard that after the complainant finished her final Grade 12 exam, she visited Selby in his office at his request and the two discussed meeting for coffee. Selby told the girl to call him by his first name and gave her his cellphone number.
The two began texting and made plans to meet up. Their first visit took place on July 7, 2018, at Selby's home.
'I could get in a lot of trouble'
Soon after she arrived, Selby told the teenager she could not tell anyone they were texting and meeting up.
"People could get the wrong idea," he said at the time. "I could get in a lot of trouble."
The two smoked a joint in Selby's hot tub and he commented on how attractive he found her. They ended up having sex that night in Selby's home and continued to meet up and have sex.
The relationship ended in May 2020.
The complainant testified she started to feel strangely about her relationship with Selby and told her therapist about it.
She said she began to worry the same thing could happen to her sister. She reported Selby to police and charges were laid in July 2021.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
