MONCTON – A Moncton courtroom heard Tuesday how a former Harrison Trimble High School teacher used his position of trust to develop a sexual relationship with a student.
William MacGillivray is accused of sexual exploitation while in a position of authority, child luring and obstructing a police officer.
His alleged victim told the court the relationship began when MacGillivray first texted her in March 2013, with concern about her mental well-being.
The victim was under the age of 18 at the time of the alleged offences and cannot be identified because of a publication ban.
She told the courtroom she considered MacGillivray someone she could trust and began confiding in him about her concerns with applying for university and troubles with a boyfriend she had recently broken up with.
From there, she said the texts escalated to a more sexual nature and he eventually told her that he was attracted to her.
She agreed to meet him at his home.
All the incidents are alleged to have occurred between March 1 and November 30, 2013. The alleged victim was a student at Harrison Trimble at the time the incidents were alleged to have started.
The alleged victim is the first of three Crown witnesses that are expected to be called during the case. Co-council Johanne Landry told the jury during opening statements that the other witnesses would be the alleged victim’s friend and the investigating police officer.
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MacGillivray, who pleaded not guilty to all three charges earlier in the days, sat in the courtroom wearing a suit jacket and showed no emotion during the testimony.
The jury heard the alleged victim went to MacGillivray’s home on at least six occasions and at least three of those occasions involved sexual acts.
She testified that during the first encounter she drank two glasses of wine on MacGillivray’s couch, before their conversation turned to kissing. He then brought her to his bedroom, where he proceeded to perform oral sex on her.
MacGillivray’s trial is expected to last five days and cross-examination is expected to begin Wednesday.
Jury selection took up all of Tuesday morning, before the jury of four women and eight men were arraigned just after noon.
After a lunch break, the judge spent one hour instructing the jury before the Crown made its opening statements just after 3 p.m
MacGillivray was arrested in December 2013.
He has been out on bail on a number of conditions, including that he not be in the presence of a girl under 18, unless he is with another adult.
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