Toronto elementary school teacher arrested in connection with sexual assault of child
Toronto Police Services (TPS) have arrested a local elementary school teacher in connection with an ongoing sexual assault investigation.
It is alleged that, between 2014 and 2016, a man worked in a Toronto home as a babysitter to a seven-year-old boy. During that time, the man allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulted the child.
According to police, the assaults occurred in residences in the O’ Connor Drive and St. Clair Avenue East area and the Queen Street East and Carlaw Avenue area of Toronto.
Following an investigation, Child and Youth Advocacy Centre (CYAC) officers arrested 41-year-old Toronto resident Gianni Jarman, formerly known as Gianni Pate, on Aug. 13.
Jarman is employed as a teacher with the Toronto District School Board at Secord Elementary School.
In a letter sent to parents and students, the school identified the teacher as John Jarman and said that he will remain on home assignment until the charges are proven in a court of law.
"Upon learning of the arrest, Mr. Jarman (Pate) was placed on home assignment and will not return to the school for the start of the school year pending outcome of the matter. These charges are unrelated to the school and to his duties as a teacher, do not involve any students at Secord ES and date back to 2015," Secord Elementary School principal, George Vlahos, said in the letter.
“While it is important to remember that laying criminal charges does not constitute guilt, and that a person is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, we also cannot and do not take these allegations lightly. Safety is a top priority at TDSB schools and we are committed to enforcing policies about the well-being of our students."
Pate is being charged with two counts of sexual assault, two counts of sexual interference and two counts of invitation to sexual touching.
He is scheduled to appear in court at Old City Hall on Sept. 17 at 9 a.m.
Investigators are asking anyone with information on the case to contact them at 416-808-2922.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.