Warrant rescinded for former N.W.T. teacher charged with sexual assault

The Yellowknife lawyer acting fora former N.W.T. teachersaid not showing up on his client's behalf in territorial court Tuesday morning wasan unfortunate mistake.

Peter Harte told CBC News that Neil Barry's name was accidentally dropped from his client list when he was updating it.

Barry is charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual exploitation for incidents that allegedly occurred in the summer of 2009, during what police say were the 2010 Arctic Winter Games tryouts. He was scheduled to make his first appearance in court Tuesday. In his absence, a judge issued a warrant for his arrest.

Harte appeared in court Wednesday to clear up the mistake. A judge rescinded the warrant that was issued Tuesday and adjourned the case to Sept. 7 when it is again to be spoken to.

Police have said that Barry worked in the N.W.T., between 2007 and 2017, working in Tulita and Fort Simpson.

Barry told CBC News that in fact, he taught in Tulita from 2004 to 2011, and in Fort Simpson from 2011 to 2017.

He said he's spent the past four years as a principal andteacher at High Prairie School District No. 48 in High Prairie, Alta.

Barry also told CBC News that police reference to alleged events having occurredduring Arctic Winter Games tryouts in the summer of 2009are impossible, as there were no tryouts then for the 2010 winter games.

The acting executive director for Sport North confirmed Wednesday that tryouts for the Arctic Winter Games are held in November leading up to the games, or the January before the games occur, and that this was the case in 2009/2010.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.