Jury hears closing arguments at trial of former principal of Christian school in Saskatoon | CBC News

Defence says old memories are unreliable, Crown says 'paddling' is assault with a weapon

A jury will soon begin deciding whether a former principal of a private Christian school in Saskatoon is guilty of assaulting students with a weapon — a wooden paddle. 

The charges relate to alleged incidents between 1997 and 2007 at Christian Centre Academy. The school was later renamed Legacy Christian Academy, then Valour Academy. It's closely associated with Mile Two Church, now called Encounter Church.

In the last seven days of the trial, the jury heard from five former students who testified they were assaulted with a wooden paddle, and from defence witnesses, including one who described the paddle as part of a written school discipline policy that parents signed.

Jillian Kudryk was one of the students. She said she was 13 when Friesen assaulted her. This week she sat in a courtroom and looked at him again.  

"It was difficult having to see him again, but there is also relief in being able to talk about it, but it's obviously difficult to have to relive it," Kudryk said in an interview.

A supervisor would send her to Friesen's office after what would be considered behaviour needing discipline, she said.

"We'd go into his office, and then they would tell us why we were in there. And then they would bend us over a chair. His hand would go on, right above your bum on your lower back, just to make sure you didn't wiggle around," she said.

"Then they had a paddle that was probably 12 inches long and it had a handle that was three or four inches long as well. And they would slap you three times with the paddle on your bum."

After the beating, Friesen would read from the Bible with her and send her back to class, she said.

Defence lawyer Daniel Mol told the jury the five former students who testified weren’t credible. He said their memories from two decades ago aren't reliable and their evidence was contradictory. 

“These events are 20-plus years ago. Recalling what happened and when it happened is going to be tough … But that’s the Crown’s problem. The Crown bears the burden of proof,” Mol said during his closing arguments.