Former N.S. school principal acquitted in historical sexual assault case
A former Halifax-area elementary school principal, Steve Hutchins, has been acquitted in a historical sexual assault case. Judge Alanna Murphy made the announcement in a provincial courtroom in Dartmouth, N.S. on Tuesday. Hutchins, who is 60 years old, was found not guilty of one count each of sexual assault and sexual interference for offences that were alleged to have taken place in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The case involved a now 43-year-old woman who claimed that Hutchins assaulted her while she was in grades 3 to 6 at elementary schools in the Eastern Passage area where he was a gym teacher. The trial took place over three days in March, during which the woman, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, testified that Hutchins would hold her in tight embraces in supply rooms adjacent to the gyms in the schools, or sometimes in his office.
Hutchins denied all of the allegations made by the woman during the trial. He used photographs and hand-drawn floor plans to demonstrate the layout of the schools, suggesting that the encounters described by the woman would not have been possible. Judge Murphy stated that she was not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to the acquittal of Hutchins.
Hutchins had previously been acquitted in a separate historical sexual assault case last fall. In that incident, a woman accused him of giving her an open-mouthed kiss and touching her body at a social function in Hammonds Plains when she was 14. The judge in that case found the complainant’s testimony to be credible but had some doubt, ultimately leading to Hutchins’ acquittal.
This is the second acquittal for Hutchins in a historical sexual assault case, raising questions about the credibility of the allegations made against him. His lawyer, Don Murray, declined to comment on the recent verdict. Despite the acquittals, the cases have brought to light the importance of thoroughly investigating and evaluating evidence in such sensitive matters.
