Ken Mann from am640 noted today that a disturbing sexual assault case in Burlington. Halton Regional Police have charged a 26 year old early childhood education teacher at one of the city's day care centers with sexual assault and sexual interference. The alleged victim is a three-year-old child.The charges against Thomas Koivisto of Hamilton are the result of a joint investigation by Halton Regional Police and the Halton Children's Aid Society. The allegations involve inappropriate touching. Koivisto will be in court in Milton on September 2nd.
Sexual battery in the daycare setting are highly disturbing and unfortunately not uncommon.
For example, in a criminal context , the husband of a North Vancouver daycare-centre operator was recently convicted of sexually assaulting a young girl. The girl, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, was six years old at the time and eight at the time of the trial. In that case, police were alerted after the girl asked her mom what was meant by the word "ass." The girl described watching pornographic sex videos on two computers with accused. She said he touched her genitals. The girl had attended the daycare since she was an infant and referred to the accused as "Baba," Persian for grandfather. The girl's lawyers indicated that she considered the daycare a second home.
In June of this year, a 17 year old was charged With sexual assault on toddlers at a toronto day care. The case actually surfaced when a young girl at the Immaculata Day Care came forward with a story about being touched inappropriately. The police began investigation and found two more alleged victims all are under the age of five.
In May of this year a West Island man was charged with sexually assaulting three children at a day care run out of his home in Dollard-des-Ormeaux. Montreal police sais the alleged crimes occurred at a daycare in his home that his wife operates between September 2007 and April 2008. The alleged victims of sexual assault were 5 or younger. He charged with two counts of sexual touching and invitation to sexual touching for each child.
Clearly, incidents such as these have a devastating effect on the families of the abused victim, especially if that victim was a toddler or defensless child, and even more so if it occured at a daycare or place of business where there is relationship of trust between the vicitms and accused.
If you have been the victim of sexual assualt and you would like to disucss your rights in a civil context, please do not hesitate to contact Matt Lalande at 905-639-8894.