A former director of a private Christian school took the stand at his assault trial on Tuesday, denying allegations from nine former students that he struck them with a wooden paddle.
John Olubobokun, 64, is on trial for nine counts of assault with a weapon stemming from his time at Christian Centre Academy, now known as Valour Academy. The school is embroiled in abuse allegations and the subject of a $25 million class-action lawsuit.
When Olubobokun’s trial began last June, several former students testified that he hit them with a wooden paddle the size of a cricket bat.
Midway through the trial, Oblubobokun’s defence lawyer requested an adjournment because Oblubobokun felt unprepared after hearing the Crown’s witnesses and wanted call new witnesses.
Oblubobokun’s defence then requested another adjournment at a hearing in October, pushing the trial to resume in March.
During the nine-month pause, Olubobokun switched lawyers twice. Ron Piche currently represents him.
Taking the stand, Olubobokun described the discipline process at the school, saying students would first get demerit points, then they would get a warning, before escalating to “scriptural discipline,” which he said would sometimes include “paddling.”
During cross examination, Olubobokun said discipline was not always “linear” and said sometimes students would get “scriptural discipline” first, depending on the severity of the student’s actions.
Olubobokun testified he did not paddle the former students who are the subjects of this trial. He said wooden paddles were removed from the school in the winter of 2004, after a Supreme Court ruling banned corporal punishment in schools.
Earlier in his trial, former student Coy Nolin testified that Olubobokun was among a handful of people that showed up at his home. Nolin said Olubobokun hit him with a paddle, and then the group “prayed” over him.
“He was asking god to cast the gay demons out of me. That I was a disgusting perversion and that they didn’t want me to go to hell,” Nolin testified.
Olubobokun denied this and said he never went to Nolin’s home.
Another former student, Jillian Kudryk, testified she was sent to the office for “going goth.” She explained her mother colored her hair, but it was darker than expected. Kudryk said her black hair prompted rumors that she was “goth,” and Olubobokun paddled her for being “ungodly.”
Olubobokun said he recalled conversations about Kudryk “going goth,” but denied paddling her because of it.
“That would never happen,” he testified.
Three days have been set aside for the remainder of Olubobokun’s trial.
The 64-year-old is also set to stand trial with co-accused and former principal Duff Friesen for a separate set of charges.
