A former student of Robert Land Academy is suing the military-style boarding school for $3.5 million, alleging sexual and physical assault, mental distress, and forcible confinement.
Identified only as B.C. due to a court-ordered publication ban, the plaintiff claims he was physically abused by staff and sexually assaulted by a student supervisor at the southern Ontario boarding school between January 1997 and December 1999.
“It made me feel like less of a human, it made me feel depressed and alone and isolated,” B.C. told CTV News in a Zoom interview on January 31. “I was treated like a pariah, it was really tough.”
B.C. alleges staff verbally and physically abused him and other students, including calling him “slow” and “dumb.” He claims a staff member, identified as Sgt. Zahra, “forcefully slammed his body to the floor.” When he reported the incident and requested to contact police, B.C. says he was discouraged from taking action and was not allowed to inform his parents.
He also alleges that staff subjected students to punishments, including forcing them to gargle and swallow cod liver oil, which sometimes caused vomiting.
“The physical [abuse], yeah — you ask anybody that was there with me, it happened to them, it happened to me, they did it in front of everybody,” B.C. said. “It happened all the time, it was the norm.”
Allegations of Sexual Assault
The lawsuit claims B.C.’s supervising student, Matthew Macdonald, repeatedly sexually assaulted him, forcing him into “unwanted and non-consensual sexual activities.” According to the Statement of Claim, Macdonald allegedly ambushed B.C. in shared barracks, exposing himself and demanding oral sex.
B.C. attempted to report the abuse to staff but claims they did not believe him.
“He was accused of having brought it on himself, he was treated as though he had somehow instigated it,” said B.C.’s lawyer, Alexi Wood. “He was then isolated, put in segregation, and removed from the rest of the school — he then left shortly after.”
B.C. says he sent letters to his parents asking to come home, but they only learned of the alleged abuse after a teacher informed them of his claims of sexual assault. His parents then withdrew him from the school.
B.C. states the trauma led to decades of depression, substance abuse, and self-harm.
“I had suicidal thoughts, I have self-harmed, and I ended up being hospitalized,” he said. “I couldn’t imagine not being around for my family and the people I love over something that happened so long ago, but it’s obviously still affecting me.”
Robert Land Academy Faced Multiple Lawsuits
Court documents reveal Robert Land Academy has faced multiple lawsuits in the past.
“We do know as well that there are other suits, not our firm but other firms, that have launched similar types of litigation against Robert Land Academy, so we have heard of patterns of abuse that isn’t just isolated to B.C.,” said Wood.
“The allegations of abuse go up to at least 2010. We’ve seen other claims that have addressed abuse that’s taken place in the 2000s,” Wood added.
B.C. hopes his lawsuit leads to systemic change at the school.
“I want policies to change, I want something to happen so that no one has to go through this again,” he said. “I don’t know how to fix a school that’s completely broken.”
In response to CTV News’ request for comment, Robert Land Academy stated:
“The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority, and these alleged incidents that have been reported in the media do not reflect the values of the school, past or present.”
“Upon learning of the alleged incident involving one of the school’s staff members, we immediately placed the individual on leave,” said the school’s headmaster, Lt.-Col. P.D. Stock, in an email to CTV News on Sunday. “Out of respect for the privacy of those involved and a fair and impartial process, we will not provide further comment as the legal investigation remains ongoing.”
Source: Swifteradio.com
