Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Katherine Kitts sentenced to 14 months in jail for sexually exploiting student


A former educational assistant who was working at Sir Robert Borden High School in Ottawa has been sentenced to 14 months in jail for sexually exploiting a student over a two-year period.

Katherine Kitts, 46, was arrested in October 2014 after a mother found sexually explicit texts on her son's phone and contacted police with concerns about Kitts's relationship with him.

The offences happened between April 2012 and April 2014 while Kitts was working at Sir Robert Borden High School. She had sex with the student repeatedly throughout those years, including in Kitts's van, parked off school property.

Kitts was initially charged with sexual assault, sexual exploitation and telecommunication with a person under 18, but after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation in March, the other two charges were stayed.

At a sentencing hearing last week, Crown Robert Thomson called for a 12 to 14-month sentence.

Kitts's lawyer Susan Chapman had argued for a 90-day intermittent sentence, followed by probation, saying what happened was out of character for the mother of two teenage boys.

Justice CĂ©lynne Dorval disagreed with that argument in her decision, instead characterizing it as planned and frequent.

Dorval pointed to significant breach of trust, the age difference between Kitts and the victim, and the length and scope of sexual contact as aggravating factors in her decision.  (more...)


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