Michael Hampden-Carter, a former Windsor high school advisor and professional football player, was acquitted of sex offence charges in Ontario Superior Court on Wednesday.
Judge's Decision
Superior Court Justice Brian Dube ruled that the Crown's case against Hampden-Carter, 40, did not prove any of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. The former Canadian Football League player was found not guilty on all six counts of sexual assault and sexual exploitation.
Background of the Case
The charges originated from allegations made by three female high school students. They accused Hampden-Carter of inappropriate touching and sexual comments while he served as an advisor at a Windsor high school in 2022.
In his detailed decision delivered in a Windsor court on Wednesday, Justice Dube stated he was "not impressed" with the testimony of the complainants and rejected parts of their accounts. One complainant was described as holding "significant animosity" toward Hampden-Carter, while another was "vindictive" and "at times willing to unnecessarily disparage the accused during the course of her testimony rather than accurately recounting the event."
The judge highlighted "significant and material inconsistencies" between the testimonies of two complainants regarding an incident on January 27, 2022, when Hampden-Carter allegedly tried to make them kiss in his car while driving them home. Justice Dube noted that their contradictions "cannot be reconciled." A neighbor who testified about approaching the parked vehicle and seeing the occupants further undermined the girls' account.
Publication Ban and Charges
A court-ordered publication ban protects the identities of the teenage complainants. Hampden-Carter was arrested by Windsor police in 2022 and charged with three counts each of sexual assault and sexual exploitation involving the three complainants. He had stopped working at the school in March 2022.
Professional Judgment Concerns
Although Justice Dube found Hampden-Carter's conduct not criminal, he remarked that some actions reflected "a serious lapse of professional judgement." The judge noted that driving students home, possessing their personal phone numbers, communicating outside school channels, using profanity in their presence, and disclosing aspects of his sexual history were "highly risky and wholly inappropriate."
Hampden-Carter, a former youth sports program counselor, started working at the high school in the Greater Essex County District School Board in November 2021 as a counselor for a program supporting minority students. The judge pointed out that he had received "absolutely no formal training" for the position.
