A Calgary teacher, Fred Archer, is facing allegations of sexual abuse involving a former student from the 1990s. Archer, now 82 years old, denies the accusations and claims he acted as a “guardian” to the student when the boy’s father was away for work. Prosecutor Gianna Argento anticipates that Archer will be found guilty of sexually assaulting the student after the trial.
The charges against Archer stem from incidents in 1994 and 1995 when he taught at John Ware School. Additional trials are scheduled for October and January related to allegations from his time as a guidance counselor at Springbank Middle School in the 1980s.
The current case involves a 13- to 14-year-old student, referred to as JR to protect his identity. The prosecution outlined how Archer developed a close relationship with JR’s father, leading to JR living with Archer during his father’s absences. Allegations of sexual abuse over a 15-month period have been vehemently denied by Archer and his lawyer, Tim Dunlap.
Archer had previously served a prison sentence for similar offenses related to students at Springbank Middle School in the 1990s. He was also part of a $15 million lawsuit settlement against the Calgary Board of Education, initially filed for $100 million, which accused him and another teacher of abusing students at John Ware School.
During his trial, Archer expressed being a “pawn” in the civil suit and denied the allegations, suggesting they were driven by financial motives. His lawyer emphasized that Archer will testify in his defense, refuting all claims. The trial is expected to span five days.