Toronto private school expels eight students in wake of serious incidents

TORONTO — Eight students at a prestigious Toronto private school have been expelled in connection with two disturbing incidents, one of which involved an alleged sexual assault of a teen that was captured on video and has since triggered a criminal investigation.

In an email to parents, St. Michael’s College School revealed that after receiving the video of the sexual assault on Monday, it launched an internal investigation that lasted until Wednesday and included interviews with the students involved and their parents.

St. Michael’s also acknowledged Friday that “there have been many questions about our handling of the matter and the sequence of events leading to the expulsion of eight students and one suspension resulting from two” incidents.

Those questions stem from the school’s initial statement that it had notified police of both incidents on Monday.

This claim was disputed by police.

A spokesperson for the force said they launched an investigation into the alleged sex assault incident on Wednesday after receiving media inquiries about the video that was circulating online.

Sources said it was police that reached out to the school on Wednesday and received a copy of the video.

Hours later, police issued a statement saying investigators from the department’s child exploitation section had determined that the video met the definition of child pornography and that anyone possessing a copy should delete it immediately.