A teacher at the Bishop’s Gymnasium in Krupka has been sentenced by the Teplice District Court to a twenty-eight-month suspended sentence for sexually abusing his female students, engaging in sexual coercion, and committing misdemeanor oppression. Additionally, he has been prohibited from working with young people for a period of six years.
Both the defendant and the prosecutor waived their right to appeal the sentence, making it final. Due to the teacher’s role in the offenses, he could have faced up to ten years of imprisonment.
According to the charges, the accused, Kantor, engaged in repeated sexual activities with girls who were students at the multi-year high school, primary school, and kindergarten in Krupka – Bohosudov. These acts also took place at various events outside of school. The indictment specifically states that the defendant demonstrably coerced sex from four girls.
Furthermore, the defendant established long-term intimate relationships with two of the girls. He initiated the first relationship when she was 13 years old and the second when she was 11 years old.
At the beginning of the trial, the defendant admitted guilt to three of the charges but disputed the accusation of groping a girl on his lap in a car during a camp game. He claimed that any contact with the girl was unintentional.
Today, the victim’s friend testified regarding the disputed count. She confirmed that she was present in the vehicle with the victim. During the journey, all passengers were blindfolded and unable to see. However, according to the victim, she resisted sitting on the teacher’s lap and expressed anger towards him after exiting the vehicle, although the specific reason for her anger was not disclosed.
The witness herself is also a victim of the defendant but her case was not discussed due to the defendant’s admission of guilt.
Eventually, the girls confided in another cantor (a church official) about the teacher’s inappropriate behavior. This cantor testified and expressed his lack of surprise at the accusations, as the defendant’s inappropriate conduct had been a topic of discussion within the school.
In the closing argument, the prosecutor recommended a sentence of 32 months in prison and a six-year ban on the defendant’s interaction with young people.
The defense attorney suggested dismissing the disputed count mentioned in the indictment, as the defendant believed it to be irrelevant. For the remaining charges, the defense proposed a suspended sentence along with mandatory outpatient sexological treatment.
During his closing statement, the defendant repeatedly expressed remorse for his actions. He emphasized his long-term relationship with one of the victims, stating that he and the girl loved each other. He asserted that he never planned to seduce any of the girls and acknowledged his significant failure, believing he deserved punishment.
In justifying the verdict, the judge emphasized that a suspended sentence was not appropriate given the nature of the offenses. The judge also explained the reclassification of the disputed count from sexual coercion to oppression, as the evidence did not support the victim’s description of the groping incident in the car. Nonetheless, the judge acknowledged the victim’s discomfort with being forced to sit on the defendant’s lap, evident by her anger and distress after exiting the vehicle.
The judge highlighted aggravating factors, including the multiple offenses committed by the defendant and the undeniable negative impact on the victims’ sexual well-being. On the other hand, mitigating factors taken into account were the defendant’s clean record prior to this case, his partial admission of guilt, and his expression of remorse.
The school filed a criminal complaint against the teacher for the suspected abuse of underage female students after receiving allegations in March of the previous year. The teacher no longer works at the high school.
Source: https://www.novinky.cz/
