Two Southern Ontario Teachers Charged with Child Sex Abuse

Former  music teacher faces child sex abuse charges

Police say they believe there may be other victims

The Canadian Press

Halton Regional Police (Halton Regional police)

Burlington, Ontario, Canada
A former school teacher from Burlington is facing several charges after an investigation by the Halton Regional Police's child abuse and sexual assault bureau.

Police say they received allegations of physical abuse and inappropriate sexual touching against a 58-year-old man who used to work at Alexander's Public School in Burlington.

They say the teacher is now facing a charge of assault, three counts of sexual interference and three counts of sexual assault.

The man was employed as a music teacher at the time of the alleged incidents.

Police say they believe there may be other victims and are urging anyone with information to come forward. 

Halton Regional Municipality, Ontario

Elementary School Teacher Charged with Historic Child Sex Abuse

David Carswell
Tracy McLaughlin File Photo

Barrie, Ontario, Canada teacher convicted of child pornography in 2009, charged with child sex abuse.

By Bob Bruton, Barrie Examiner

A former Barrie man who was an elementary school teacher in the city faces three sex charges after Ontario Provincial Police received a complaint about a child sexual assault.

David Andrew Carswell, 61, of London, ON, was charged Friday with sexual assault, sexual interference and sexual exploitation during the 2004-05 school year while he was still teaching. The alleged assault took place at the school and during a field trip in Toronto, according to police.

The OPP child sexual exploitation unit received a complaint Sept. 16. Det.-Sgt. Paul Thompson said the complaint was made by a parent of the alleged victim.

“The allegations are from 10 years ago (when) the victim is still under 18,” he said. “At this time, we have no information that would lead us to believe there are any other victims.”

Thompson said the incidents happened when Carswell was a teacher at Ferndale Woods Elementary School in Barrie.

“It’s always troubling to hear of allegations that involve a vulnerable young child being abused by a person of authority," he said. "It can be very traumatic for the complainants and we try to help them with counselling resources.”

Carswell was scheduled for a bail hearing Friday in Barrie. He was released on bail and ordered to return to court next month.

Police say the investigation is continuing.

Carswell was convicted of possessing child pornography in 2009 for 14 images of child pornography.

But the judge also found that he used his credit card to purchase child porn and that he had 475 such images on his computer that had been previously deleted, and so he could not be convicted on those images.

Carswell, who was a Grade 5 and special-education teacher, used the online name 'Diamond Dave' in his pursuit of child pornography. Carswell used his credit card — information that led police straight to his door — to purchase the images from a child-porn ring that made millions of dollars selling the images in Canada, U.S., France and Spain.

Carswell said he was searching for one of his 10-year-old students because he feared the child was being groomed for child porn. At the time, Carswell testified, “It’s in my heart to protect children.”

I think I'm going to be sick!

The judge dismissed Carswell as a man "in denial" and sentenced him to six months under house arrest and two years of probation.

Carswell was forced to retire early after 29 years of teaching because he was threatened to be fired by the school board if he didn't, his lawyer said at the time.

Carswell received one-third of his pension and he and his wife, who was a school principal, moved to London. His wife was transferred to board administration.

— With files by Tracy McLaughlin and Postmedia