A former London elementary school teacher has been found guilty on charges of making and possessing child pornography, for recording footage of a 16-year-old co-op student with a camera hidden inside a backpack in a staff change room.
Jamie Gardiner appeared in a London courtroom Friday afternoon to hear a judge’s verdict on his not guilty plea to child pornography charges. The 39-year-old already pleaded guilty to 16 counts of voyeurism for footage of his coworkers.
Outside the courthouse, Gardiner’s defense lawyer Richard Braiden called the judge’s decision “very reasonable,” but was unsure whether his client would challenge a one-year minimum jail sentence that comes with child pornography charges.
“We have someone who has no record, it’s a two-and-a-half minute video clip of one single person. Whether that warrants a year in jail is something that I think is being considered by his honour, if my client instructs me to pursue that.”
There were soft cheers and tears from women gathered in the courtroom, as the judge handed down his decision. Victim impact statements will be heard on August 14th. Gardiner’s case will resume on July 17th, when the judge is expected to set a sentencing date.
The Thames Valley District School Board fired Gardiner from his job as a special education teacher at Ashley Oaks public school in London shortly after he was charged. He captured footage from 2011 until he was caught in 2015.
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