Husband testifies former teacher accused of having sex with student was faithful

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The husband of a former Saskatchewan teacher accused of sexually assaulting a male student says his wife has never been unfaithful to him.

Bonnie McLachlan of Prince Albert is charged with having a sexual relationship with the student during the 1993-94 school year, when the boy was 15.

James McLachlan testified on Wednesday that he and his wife spent time together at a local gym, working out in the evenings.

He said that the alleged victim also trained at the gym, but he never worked out with him.

When asked by the Crown if his wife may have gone to the gym alone, McLachlan replied that “could have happened.”

The alleged victim, who is now an adult, testified earlier this week that his first sexual encounter with Bonnie McLachlan was in her car after a workout at the gym.

Gloria Lannox, the former principal of the school where the accused worked and the student attended, testified that McLachlin’s teaching assistant came to her with concerns about McLachlin’s relationship with one of her students before a school trip to Banff, Alta, in May 1994.

“Ms. McLachlan was telling her things that made her think she was forming a friendship with that student,” Lannox told the court, adding the teaching assistant said McLachlan had “feelings” for the student.

She said she doesn’t remember the teaching assistant telling her about anything sexual between McLachlan and the student.

Lannox said officials were concerned because McLachlan was to supervise students on a school trip to Banff that the student was also to attend. The student’s parents had called her, concerned the trip would not go on as planned.

She said the boy’s mother was aware her son was seeing McLachlan away from school, at the fitness centre, but said she and his father did not have any concerns.

Lannox then drafted a letter, she said, which stated that the parents did not have concerns about their son weightlifting with McLachlan and about the field trip. She said the boy’s father signed the letter.

The field trip went ahead, but afterwards, Lannox said the school board got an anonymous phone call, saying there were some concerns about the Banff trip.

School officials were asked to interview students that went on the trip, which Lannox said she did, and took notes.

The court also heard from the school’s former vice-principal, Alan Nunn, said school officials talked to McLachlan prior to the trip and “reminded Bonnie McLachlan of the professional distance she needed to keep on the trip.”

He said officials heard there were times on the trip where McLachlan could not be accounted for, where they didn’t know where she was.