West Vancouver private school teacher faces child porn charge
Posted February 23, 2021 1:58 pm.
Last Updated February 23, 2021 8:32 pm.
WEST VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A West Vancouver private school teacher is charged with having child pornography, but the allegations are only coming to light months after he was arrested.
Luke Lawson, a teacher at Mulgrave School, was arrested in September, 2020, but we are only learning about it now.
The 53-year-old is now charged with one count of possession of child pornography.
A West Vancouver private school teacher is charged with having child pornography, but the allegations are only coming to light months after he was arrested. https://t.co/ulSIh1cs2v pic.twitter.com/TdNU13CUz1
— CityNews 1130 Vancouver (Inactive) (@news1130) February 24, 2021
Const. Kevin Goodmurphy says the delay in getting the message out was due to a lengthy investigation.
“Immediately, we connected with the school in the interest of the students and school community, as well as the greater community at large,” Goodmurphy said. “We did undergo an in-depth risk assessment in terms of any risk that this person may pose to the school community, as well as the greater community. We determined that there was no risk that was present, we were satisfied that upon release of this person, that he does not pose a risk to the community.”
MORE: Luke Lawson is a teacher at Mulgrave School in West Vancouver. Says West Vancouver Police, "we understand that this will be alarming news for the community. We want to reassure parents & students that West Van Police treat offences…w/utmost seriousness…"
— Ria Renouf ???? (@riarenouf) February 23, 2021
Lawson, who was a member of the Mulgrave School’s university counselling team, has been released from custody and must follow several court-imposed conditions, including staying away from places kids under the age of 16 might be — including parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, and elementary schools.
Mulgrave School says as soon as it was made aware of the allegation, Lawson was suspended from teaching.
“Based on conversations with the police, we understand that there is no connection to any current or past Mulgrave students,” reads a statement from Mulgrave School. “This staff member was immediately suspended and any access to the school facility, devices, and digital accounts was revoked. There has been no contact between this individual and any student throughout the period of the investigation.”
“Cases such as this one, which are thankfully very rare, are deeply disturbing and upsetting. Our number one priority is always student safety, and we work hard to hire and retain highly qualified staff that uphold the highest standards of conduct and operate always in the best interest of our students and children in the community,” it adds.
“We understand that people will have some significant emotional reactions to this information coming out now, if they didn’t know earlier,” he added. “As a parent myself of young children, I can only imagine what that feeling would be like, if I’d received the same information from my children’s school.”
John Wray, head of Mulgrave School, sent a letter to parents, alerting them to the situation, saying “I am truly sorry to have to bring to you this very challenging news.”
Lawson’s trial has been scheduled for March.
– With files from Ria Renouf
