Bishops’ teacher remanded on sexual offence charge

Mar 09, 2018 News

Remanded to prison: Coen Jackson

Months after allegations of sexual misconduct were leveled against a former Bishops’ High School teacher, the 39-year-old man was yesterday charged and remanded to prison on a rape allegation when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Coen Jackson stood before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly, and was not required to plea to the indictable charge which alleged that between December 2010 and May 2011, at D’Urban Street, Lodge, he engaged in sexual activity with a child under the age of 16 by abusing his position of trust.

Jackson was represented by Attorneys-at-law Sanjeev Datadin and Siand Dhurjon who pleaded with the Magistrate to grant their client bail.

The matter, which was held in-camera, was prosecuted by Police Prosecutor Richard Harris.

The Magistrate after listening to the prosecutor remanded Jackson to prison. He was instructed to make his next court appearance on March 15 for reports.

According to information, an investigation was launched after a former student of Jackson’s filed a report alleging that she had sexual contact with the teacher while she was still a student.

The matter was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, (DPP) for advice and a charge was instituted against Jackson.

The accusations against Jackson were first brought to the fore by Cultural Policy Advisor within the Ministry of Social Cohesion, Mr. Ruel Johnson.

Jackson retained legal representation and denied the allegations of sexual abuse of students under his instruction. He accused Johnson of taking such action, because he had been in communication with Johnson’s wife.

Johnson, in a letter of complaint to Chief Education Officer, Mr. Marcel Hutson, suggested that Jackson had been sexually abusing female students for many years.
Johnson alleged that the stories of abuse started in the late 1990s, beginning at another City secondary school, and followed Jackson’s career through attachments at several other schools.

The Cultural Advisor’s letter of complaint was also sent to the Ministries of Social Protection, Legal Affairs, Public Health, Public Security and Social Cohesion.
The complaint had forced the Education Ministry into investigation mode. Jackson was sent on administrative leave to facilitate the investigation. At the end of the process, the findings were sufficient to warrant a police investigation.

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