A non-practising Vernon teacher is on trial in Kelowna this week for several sex crimes alleged to have been committed more than 20 years ago.
Anoop Singh Klair, 40, is charged with sexual assault with a weapon, three counts of sexual assault, and four counts of sexual interference – one with a child under 16 and three with children under 14. There are four complainants in the case and all offences are alleged to have occurred in Vernon between late-1999 and 2003. The incidents happened before Klair earned his Bachelor of Education degree; he would have been in his late teens and early 20s at the time.
Due to a publication ban, neither the complainants’ names nor their relationship to Klair can be published.
During proceedings on Tuesday, Klair was accompanied by several family members as his trial continued. Court heard from one of the alleged victims who testified Klair touched his genitals when he was young.
While Klair currently still holds a valid teaching certificate, he is not eligible to teach, having signed an undertaking not to teach pending resolution of a matter before the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation. It is unclear whether the matter is related to his criminal charges. A search of Klair’s name in the Teacher Regulation’s discipline database returned no results.
It is unknown where, or if, Klair was employed as a teacher before signing the undertaking, which has been in effect since November 2018 and has no stated end date.
The trial is expected to conclude Friday, March 12.
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