A judge has found Neil Joynt, a former teacher previously convicted of sexually abusing two of his students, not guilty at his retrial.
Justice Patrick Hurley told the court in Napanee on Tuesday his decision was based on a lack of credibility from the two witnesses who testified against the former Kingston teacher and OHL hockey billet.
In 2016, the 78-year-old was found guilty of indecent assault, indecent assault on a male and two counts of sexual assault.
Last year, he won an appeal of his convictions on two technicalities. According to Crown counsel Roberto Corbella, the retrial was granted because the judge failed to deliver two pieces of information to the jury, and a new trial took place this past fall.
After weighing the accounts of witnesses, Hurley concluded there was reasonable doubt to find Joynt not guilty on all counts.
“All testimonies had flaws and inconsistencies. New details emerged which may have been caused by the legal process,” Hurley said in his decision on Tuesday.
During the new trial, two adult men testified about alleged incidents from the ‘60s and ‘70s when they were students, including one instance where the complainant accused Joynt of abusing him on a camping trip, while the other claimed Joynt took him to his parents’ home for a sleepover, where he accused Joynt of molesting him.
Joynt spent his career teaching physical education, along with 33 years as a junior hockey billet. None of the allegations involved his billeting.
His lawyer, Ottawa-based defence counsel Oliver Abergel, says his client has been bombarded with letters of support from the community since his retrial began in the fall.
“I’ve been contacted by many students asking me if they can help in any way saying they spent years in Mr. Joynt’s presence and not only did he not do anything to them but was a positive and formative force for them,” Abergel told Global News outside the courthouse on Tuesday.
As the judge read out not guilty on all counts, Joynt began sobbing in his chair and was comforted by his lawyer and supporters in the courtroom.
And as for what’s next for Joynt, his lawyer says he will now try to regain his reputation.
—With files from Alexandra Mazur.