Former Saskatoon private school admin, pictured with paddle in 1997, testifies at former principal's trial
A former administrator at a Saskatoon private school testified at a trial regarding allegations that the former principal used a wooden paddle to discipline students. The defense argues that paddling was an established school policy with parental consent, while former students describe the experience as humiliating and abusive.
Why it matters
The trial highlights ongoing legal and ethical debates surrounding corporal punishment in private religious educational institutions.
Duff Arthur Friesen faces five counts of assault with a weapon. He has pleaded not guilty to all of them.
Friesen is accused of hitting students with a wooden paddle. The charges stem from his time at Christian Centre Academy from 1997 to 2007.
The school was later renamed Legacy Christian Academy, then Valour Academy. It's closely associated with Mile Two Church, now called Encounter Church.
Duff Arthur Friesen makes his way into Saskatoon Court of King's Bench last week for the start of his jury trial. He faces five counts of assault with a weapon. (Travis Reddaway/CBC) Lou Brunelle, the man in the magazine photo from 1997, was the first defence witness at the trial. He testified Monday that paddling was school policy and parents signed off.
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