A former employee of a Montreal high school accused of sexually exploiting a teenage girl has pledged to the court to respect several conditions to put an end to the criminal proceedings. Wilfredo Fernando Cedillos Magana made “inappropriate” gestures towards a student, according to the Crown.
The 33-year-old Montrealer was facing counts of sexual exploitation and sexual assault – filed by summary conviction – for actions taken in the fall of 2021. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was responsible for student life at the Eulalie-Durocher secondary school, located near the Olympic Stadium, between August 2019 and February 2022.
His trial scheduled for this week did not take place, however, since the public prosecutor withdrew the charges on April 18 at the Montreal courthouse. In return, Wilfredo Fernando Cedillos Magana signed up under Section “810.1” for a period of one year.
This provision of the Criminal Code allows recognizances to be imposed on a person, when the authorities have “reasonable grounds” to fear the commission of a sexual offense against a child.
“Mister was a floor supervisor in a school. He had interactions with a 16-year-old student who was finishing high school. There were certain gestures which were inappropriate, and which let us fear touching and which let us fear the commission of the offenses referred to [in the Code], “explained to the judge the Crown prosecutor Me Jérôme Laflamme.
The prosecution did not provide additional information about the nature and circumstances of the “inappropriate” actions. The prosecutor pointed out that the “nature of the job” and “the clientele” with whom the defendant worked were factors leading the authorities to fear, “still to this day”, the commission of offenses of a sexual nature.
Under 810, Wilfredo Fernando Cedillos Magana will be restricted from employment that places him in a position of authority or trust with children for a period of one year. “It was a sine qua non for the prosecution,” insisted Me Laflamme. He will also not be able to approach the complainant.
“There are consequences to this document. If you breach these conditions, you may be charged with an additional offence,” Judge Martin Chalifour reminded the accused.
According to defense lawyer Me Gabriel Bérubé Bouchard, Wilfredo Fernando Cedillos Magana now works with the elderly.
Cases of alleged sex crimes in Quebec schools have been making headlines since the start of the year. A month ago, the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, also launched a “general investigation” into these “multiple” denunciations and allegations in the school network.
