A former student is suing a southwestern Manitoba school division, claiming it was negligent and failed to protect them from being allegedly preyed on and sexually abused by a psychologist working at a school in Carberry more than four decades ago. The statement of claim, filed in Winnipeg's Court of King's Bench last week, alleges the Beautiful Plains School Division "created the risk of sexual assault" after hiring a psychologist without properly investigating his background and by failing to employ "reasonable safeguards" to ensure the plaintiff was safe at the school premises. The psychologist met the plaintiff, who was a student at Carberry Collegiate, more than four decades ago.
The plaintiff was "young, vulnerable and in need of guidance" at the time, the suit says. The lawsuit claims the psychologist used the position of power and authority he had as an employee of the school division to prey on and sexually assault the plaintiff on repeated occasions between 1980 and 1982. The assaults increased in frequency, nature and intensity over time, as the psychologist pressured the student to remain silent by engaging in "a pattern of behaviour which was intended to make [the student] feel that it was unsafe to report the wrongdoings," the suit claims.
"The perpetrator willfully and/or negligently inflicted pain ...
mental suffering, humiliation, and degradation upon the plaintiff," according to the lawsuit, which claims the assaults interfered with the student's normal chil.