Report on sexual assault allegations at King's recommends apologies, settlements

WARNING: This story contains details readers may find disturbing, and discusses sexual assault.

A new report on accusations of sexual assault against a former professor at the University of King's College in Halifax has revealed additional incidents and recommends that the university apologize to victims and settle any legal actions.

In 2021, longtime professor Wayne John Hankey was charged with sexual assault, gross indecency and indecent assault involving three male complainants for incidents that they allege occurred between 1977 and 1988.

Hankey died in 2022, just a month before the first trial was scheduled to take place. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.

After the first criminal complainant came forward, King's hired two lawyers at Toronto firm Rubin Thomlinson to lead an independent, third-party review of the allegation. The scope later broadened to include other accusations.

"Dr. Hankey engaged in a pattern of predatory and abusive behaviour towards some young men," the final report says. "We became aware of numerous incidents which ranged from subtle solicitation, sexual suggestion, homophobic remarks, to sexual assault."

Complainant 'heartbroken' by other allegations

The investigators detail a long list of allegations they found "more likely than not to have occurred."

One accusation involves incidents that occurred between 1977 and 1980, and led to the victim filing a complaint in 1990 with the Anglican Church and King's. Hankey was also an Anglican priest at the time.

The man stated that he had been sexually abused by Hankey in his late teens, including while he was a student at King's. Those allegations included incidents involving sexual contact in the shower area of the pool at the university. The accuser chose not to pursue criminal charges at the time, but an ecclesiastical court of the Anglican Church found Hankey guilty, and he was stripped of his religious office.

The complainant in that incident, who consented to his identification Wednesday, said he feels the Rubin report is fair and accurate.

"I was heartbroken to learn through it that so many other young men and women were hurt by Wayne Hankey, but I am deeply grateful to them for having the courage to speak up," said David Harris in a statement.

"I am also grateful to [university] president [William] Lahey for the steps he and the board have taken to begin changing the culture at King's. I accept his heartfelt apology for the injuries I endured. For me, at least, it is an important step in my own healing. I hope the findings of the report will be valuable not only to future King's students, but to students at all Canadian institutions of higher learning."

Incidents span decades

Other incidents detailed in the report include:

• A man who said Hankey put his hand on the man's leg, on top of his clothes, and on his genitals during a meeting with Hankey in his office in 1978.
• A teenager who had a summer job scraping and painting a house in 1980. When he climbed a ladder to reach the second floor, he "looked through the window and saw Dr. Hankey on top of a young boy between the ages of 10-20 — probably 15. The boy was face down on the bed and Dr. Hankey was on top of him in the 'rear entry position.'"
• A report that Hankey was seen swimming naked in the school's pool with an underaged boy in 1981. 
• A man who said Hankey placed his hand on the man's leg under his shorts and tried to make contact with his genitals in 1982.
• A man who said Hankey stared at his genitals in the sauna at the Dalplex, the gym at Dalhousie University, in 1985.
• A man who worked on the construction of the King's library in the mid-1980s who said he went to Hankey's residence to ask about collecting money for unpaid bills. Hankey appeared at the door in his underwear with a bottle of wine and asked the man "what's in it for me if I speak to people and try to get your money."
• A man who worked as a lifeguard at the Dalplex who recalled an agitated swimmer exiting the pool in 1986, saying that another swimmer had just grabbed his testicles. The lifeguard recognized the accused as Dr. Hankey and reported the incident to his manager.
• An incident involving sexual touching of a male student without his consent that resulted in physical injury in the 1980s.
• A man who said Hankey regularly made sexualized comments about his body in front of others, including in the classroom and campus bar in 2008.
• A man who said Hankey grabbed his thigh and asked for a kiss during a dinner at Hankey's home in 2019.

An updated version of the report released on May 16 contained two additional incidents that were reported to investigators.

A student said that in the spring of 1998, he needed to submit a paper for Hankey's class after the due date. Hankey told him to drop the paper off at his apartment. When the student arrived at Hankey's door, Hankey was wearing a dressing gown, which he then opened and exposed his penis to the student.

The student then thanked the professor for allowing him to hand in his paper late, and promptly left.

The other newly reported incident is from a student who said she attended a lecture by Hankey and when she asked a question, he said it was "stupid."

Other 'possible' incidents

The earlier report from March also includes incidents — reported in detail by the CBC — the investigators said were "possible that they occurred," including the alleged assaults of Richard March, a family acquaintance of Hankey, in the early 1970s and Glenn Johnson, who says he was assaulted in the President's Lodge at King's when he was a young teen in the late 1970s.

Peter March, Richard March's brother, said in a statement that the current situation is "the best it realistically could be."

"King's, among other actors, knew about this and did nothing. They continued to do nothing as long as they could get away with it. They only changed strategy when the shame of their accumulated cowardice was more embarrassing than acknowledging the truth.

"On the other hand, the current leadership at King's is doing precisely what it should — owning their decisions; personally and privately apologizing to known (known!) victims; publicly apologizing and acknowledging decades-long, systemic failures of leadership; acknowledging the institutional value King's must [place] on providing an equitable education for all students; and changing (and hopefully enforcing) newly revised policy."

Dozens of people interviewed

The report says King's is accountable for the harms caused to victims.

"Dr. Hankey abused students while he was a professor at King's, and while those students attended King's. His role as professor gave him access to these students and his conduct occurred at the King's facilities — pools, residences, his rooms, and classrooms," the report reads.

"This alone would allow us to conclude that King's is accountable. However, that King's did not sufficiently probe Dr. Hankey swimming naked with a child, held a limited committee hearing which did not connect all the available evidentiary dots that spoke to Dr. Hankey's behaviour, and dissuaded individuals from complaining against him, heightens their responsibility for the damage that has been done."

The report also said there were occasions when the university protected Hankey.

The investigators interviewed 81 people over 110 hours, and reviewed all available documentation held by King's about Hankey. The report notes the documentation was "underwhelming" and points to a "lackadaisical approach to record keeping." It also says that at least one report by a committee looking into Hankey's conduct was destroyed.

Civil case ongoing

A civil case filed by a man who says he was assaulted by Hankey is ongoing. The lawsuit by Glenn Johnson has named the board of governors at King's, Dalhousie University, the Anglican Diocesan Synod of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and Hankey's estate.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Johnson's lawyer, Liam O'Reilly, said, "We commend the bravery of the victims who came forward publicly to bring Dr. Hankey's sexual misconduct to light.

"These courageous actions have helped establish a platform that will allow other victims of Dr. Hankey to know they were not alone and will give voice to their traumatic experiences as well. We continue to study the Rubin Report to examine and identify the best mechanism to bring justice to the victims of Dr. Hankey in a comprehensive and restorative manner."

University president apologizes

University president William Lahey apologized to victims in a public address on Wednesday afternoon.

"To the men who have been harmed by Dr. Hankey's reprehensible behaviour and the university's inaction to spare you from it, I apologize to you, deeply, sincerely and publicly. We apologize for what was done to you and for the university's past failure to address Dr. Hankey's behaviour properly and fully," he said.

"We failed to protect you, we failed to believe you and we are sorry."

Lahey said the school plans to abide by all of the investigators' recommendations, including to compensate victims financially when it is warranted. The amount of compensation will be determined on a case by case basis through conversations with survivors, as well as lawyers for survivors, insurance companies and the university.

Lahey said the university's goal is "appropriate and just compensation."

The investigators previously released their recommendations on how King's can ensure it is providing a safe environment with regard to sexualized violence, and the university has already responded with a plan to develop a culture of consent and respect on campus.

Dalhousie University's president also released a statement and apology in response to the report.

In an email addressed to the Dalhousie community Wednesday evening, Frank Harvey wrote that Dalhousie recognizes and apologizes for the incidents documented in the report that had a connection to the university. He said university administrators have reviewed the final report and will "carefully and thoughtfully" reflect on the recommendations and, "to every extent possible, make amends to individuals affected who were part of our Dalhousie community."

"In addition to the specificity of these incidents, we acknowledge the institutional culture that protected behaviour that had such profound harm. No one should have to experience sexualized violence or harassment," wrote Harvey.

Anyone struggling with mental health can call 911 in an emergency, or the province's toll-free mental health crisis line at 1-888-429-8167, which is available 24 hours, seven days a week. To self-refer to a Community Mental Health and Addictions clinic, call 1-855-922-1122 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. AT on weekdays.

People can also contact the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 anytime of day.