'I want to forget the pain,' witness says at Horne trial

An ex-student of former Nunavut teacher Ed Horne struggled as he testified Tuesday at Horne's sex-crimes trial, saying he found it very painful to talk about the abuse he said he experienced as a child.

The man, who was the Crown's third witness, took the stand in an Iqaluit courtroom in the morning to testify about his experiences with Horne, dating back to when the witness was five to seven years old.

Horne, who had taught in a number of eastern Arctic communities in the 1970s and 1980s, faces 10 sex-related charges stemming from complaints from former students. He was previously convicted on similar charges in 1987 and 2000.

A court-ordered ban prohibits the publication or broadcasting of any details that could identify the victims. Crown attorney Judy Chan is expected to call up a total of four witnesses. Two men testified in the judge-only trial on Monday.

On Tuesday morning, the Crown asked the witness repeatedly to tell the court what happened. He could not bring himself to testify, saying, "Right now I find it very difficult to talk about it. I'm in a lot of pain right now. It's too heavy, too painful. I want to forget the pain."

After a few more attempts at questioning the witness, the court took a break so Chan could speak to the witness.

When the court reconvened, the witness told the court about how Horne would perform anal sex on him in the school's staff room, adding that students were sexually assaulted in that room.

Defence lawyer Tom Boyd then spent more than a hour quizzing the witness about his recollection of events. The witness said several times that the events occurred a long time ago, and he doesn't remember all of the details.

Security is strict at Horne's trial, which began Monday. Police have been posted inside and outside the courtroom, where Justice Robert Kilpatrick is overseeing thetrial. Horne also has a police escort to accompany him when he goes to the bathroom.