Teen says St. Mike’s classmate tried to rip his pants down

One student says they were sexually assaulted with a broom handle

TORONTO — A teenage boy is testifying that his former teammate, who is accused of sexually assaulting two students in the locker room of a private Catholic school in Toronto, tried to rip his pants down.

The teen has told the virtual court he felt violated by the incident that occurred at St. Michael’s College School in the fall of 2018. The accused has pleaded not guilty to two counts each of gang sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon and assault with a weapon related to two incidents in which students were sexually assaulted with a broom handle.

The testifying teen told court on Monday that the accused had made hazing at the Toronto school more violent and more sexual.

He says he did not witness the sexual assaults, but saw the accused and three others circling one teen just before one of the incidents occurred.

No young person can be named due to provisions in the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The teen testified that several people on the team tried to take his pants down in 2018.

In December, court heard one complainant describe to police being sexually assaulted with a broom handle by a group of students in the school’s locker room in October 2018.

In the second recording, he recalled seeing a group sexually assault another student in a similar way the following month, also in the locker room.

The complainant did not mention the accused when discussing the October incident, but alleged the teen held back the arms of the victim in the November assault.

The complainant was initially one of the suspects in the November 2018 incident, but the charges against him were dropped.

Three teens have pleaded guilty to sexual assault with a weapon and assault with a weapon for their roles in the incidents and have been sentenced to two years of probation.