Niagara Regional Police say two teens who are students at a St. Catharines private school have been charged in connection with the alleged sexual and physical abuse of a child.
Police said in a statement on Wednesday that the complaint was filed in December.
“As a result, detectives have conducted multiple interviews regarding the on-campus conduct of multiple youths who are students at Ridley College in St. Catharines,” investigators said.
Officers said the investigation goes over a period between September 2018 and August.
On Wednesday, police said two boys under the age of 16 surrendered themselves to investigators in Niagara Falls. Officers said the boys arrested are international students.
The youths, who can’t be identified due to provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, were charged with sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon and sexual assault party to the offence.
Police said the investigation is ongoing, adding it’s believed there are more potential victims and suspects as well as witnesses.
Ridley College issued a statement on Twitter Wednesday afternoon in response to the investigation.
The school said it notified Niagara Regional Police and Family and Children’s Services Niagara after becoming aware in December of “incidents relating to an alleged sexual assault that took place between students on campus.”
“We take allegations of harassment and abuse of any kind extremely seriously,” the statement said.
“At this time, all parents of the students involved have been notified. We continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing police investigation and additional resources are being made available to support our students and employees.”
Anyone with information was asked to call police at 905-688-4111 ext. 5100.
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