The fate of a former Vernon teacher accused of committing sex crimes against minors is still up in the air more than six weeks after his trial came to a close.
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. Four complainants, whose names are covered under a publication ban, took the stand during Klair’s one-week trial in BC Supreme Court in Kelowna, which ended March 12.
Since then, two dates have been scheduled for Justice Murray Blok to render his decision — April 19 and 28 — but the matter was postponed each time. The verdict is now set to come down at a May 14 appearance in a Kelowna courtroom.
Before trial ended, defence lawyer Nicholas Jacobs argued the case should be dismissed entirely under a Jordan ruling — a Supreme Court of Canada decision that gives the accused the right to be tried within 30 months. Klair was charged in the fall of 2018.
The alleged incidents are said to have happened in Vernon between 1999 and 2003, well before Klair earned his Bachelor of Education degree; he would have been in his late teens and early 20s at the time.
An email provided to Black Press Media shows Klair formerly worked at Vernon’s School District 22.
READ MORE: Vernon teacher accused of sex crimes to discover fate in April
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