Closing arguments got off to a shaky start Wednesday in the trial of the former Rosemere High school teacher charged with sexual assault and sexually exploiting a 15-year-old boy a decade ago.
The judge scolded Tania Pontbriand’s defence team -- who turned what was supposed to be a 15-minute break into a delay that lasted an hour and a half. He said it showed a lack of preparation and called it unprofessional.
Pontbriand's lawyer spent what was left of the morning calling the accuser's credibility into question. For example, the accuser, who cannot be named because he was a juvenile at the time of the alleged abuse, had testified he had sex with Pontbriand hundreds of times in a variety of places, including public ones. He cited Pontbriand's office at school and in her car in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant. How then, she asked, was it possible no one ever caught them in the act or witnessed any inappropriate or suspicious behavior?
By mid-afternoon, the Crown had its chance to pick apart the defence's arguments, aggressively questioning the defence's interpretation of the evidence and the credibility of certain witnesses.
The prosecutor argued that it was only logical that no one would have known about their sexual activity, or witnessed unusual behavior because it was allegedly a secret relationship, and that Pontbriand and her student would go out of their way to make their interactions seem ordinary. The student was being manipulated by someone in a position of authority, the Crown argued.
The Crown also objected to the testimony of Suzanne Charbonneau, a teacher who testified in Pontbriand's defence.
Charbonneau claimed Pontbriand was simply a caring teacher with a big heart who was close to many students, but the Crown suggested the testimony was biased, given that Charbonneau is Pontbriand's personal friend.
The trial could continue for weeks or months to come.
