Former high school teacher guilty of sexual assault gets 2 months in jail

A disgraced former Ottawa high school math teacher was sentenced to two months in jail and two years of probation for sexually assaulting two of his underage female students in 2016.

Naoum Abi-Samra, 60who taught at Pierre Savard High School in Barrhaven was found guilty of sexual assault in December 2018 for touching the thigh and breast of one student and the upper thigh of another.

Both victims were 15 years old when they were assaulted in Abi-Samra's class.

He was also charged with sexual interference, but those chargeswere dropped when Justice Paul B. Kane ruled there wasn't enough proofAbi-Samra'sintentions were sexual in nature.

The Crown sought a 12-month sentence, while the defence asked for a suspended sentence.

Breach of trust

Kane ruled that,given the young age of the victimsand the intimate nature of the touching, combined with the "important" breach of trust committed by Abi-Samra, a two-monthsentence was appropriate.

"These actions in their form and nature are not as forceful as some acts of sexual conduct the court often sees," he told court.

In her impact statement, one of the victims told court thatsince the assault she has suffered emotional distress and is constantly fearful and on guard against being touched.

In apre-sentencing report,Abi-Samra said he was sorry for his actions and feels "sad," but addedhis intentions were "misunderstood" and were notsexual.

Kane described receiving 11 letters from some ofAbi-Samra's former students, praising him for being a supportive and understanding teacher, but added that the career is now lost to him.

"Mr. Abi-Samra was in a position of trust and authority and he made the two complainants more vulnerable in what should have been a safe environment," he told court.

As part of his sentence, Abi-Samra'sname will be addedto the sex offender registry for life. He must also provide a DNA sample and he cannot work, volunteer or communicate with children under 16 years of age.