Former Whitehorse educational assistant files defence against sexual abuse lawsuit

A former Whitehorse educational assistant has responded to the second of two sexual abuse lawsuits filed against him this year, denying that he harmed the child at the centre of the allegations.

William Auclair-Bellemare filed a hand-written statement of defence to the Yukon Supreme Court on Monday.

A child and parents filed a statement of claim against Auclair-Bellemare as well as the Yukon Education Department and Attorney General of Canada in October, alleging, among other things, that Auclair-Bellemare had sexually abused the child while working as an educational assistant at Hidden Valley Elementary School.

In his statement of defence, written in French, Auclair-Bellemare denies having abused the child and claims the child is lying with the encouragement of his parents.

The lawsuit has not been tested at trial.

Auclair-Bellemare has not yet responded to the first lawsuit against him, filed in July by the parent of a child he abused at Hidden Valley in 2019.

The CBC's story about that lawsuit and the associated preceding criminal case where Auclair-Bellemare pleaded guilty to one count of sexual interference set off a firestorm among Hidden Valley parents who said education officials never informed them about the case.

The situation led to police identifying two more alleged victims and laying new criminal charges against Auclair-Bellemare, and also triggered four separate reviews or investigations into police and the Yukon government's handling of the situation in 2019.