1st alleged victim of ex-Young Canadians employee testifies at teen sex abuse trial
Philip Heerema is on trial on 20 charges involving 8 accusers
In 1992, days before a Young Canadians performer's 18th birthday, Philip Heerema slid his hand down the pants of the student after taking him out for dinner, the man now in his 40s testified on Tuesday.
The witness — whose identity is protected by a publication ban — was the first complainant to give evidence at Heerema's teen sex abuse trial.
Heerema, 55, is facing 20 charges, including sexual assault, sexual exploitation, child pornography and luring involving eight young men who were teens at the time of the alleged offences.
The then-teen was in The Young Canadians school for two years ending in 1992 before he headed off to college.
Heerema was with The Young Canadians for 36 years, beginning when he was a teenage performer and later as an employee. The Young Canadians perform in the Calgary Stampede grandstand show every year.
He's accused of "grooming" eight teens at the performance school over the years, getting close to them over text and Facebook messages, at times exchanging nude photos and becoming physically sexual with some.
Back in the early 1990s, the witness was part of a tight-knit group of performers — senior male singers — who had become close with Heerema.
"Phil was a fun guy, he was a cool guy, it was cool to be friends with Phil," said the witness. "It was nice, we had a group of four or five guys. We liked to hang out all the time."
The man testified Heerema would buy him birthday and Christmas gifts — cologne and boxers on one occasion — and would take him out to dinner.
Days before the then-17-year-old left for college, Heerema took him out for dinner and then a walk around Heritage Park.
The two stopped and sat down, said the witness. Then, Heerema asked him to lie down. In a non-consensual move, he slid his hand down the teen's pants, the witness testified.
Heerema is charged with sexual assault in relation to that incident.
Video released
Earlier in the day, court viewed an interview between Heerema and a police detective conducted on the day the accused was arrested in June 2015.
On Tuesday afternoon, Court of Queen's Bench Justice Larry Ackerl released the video to the media.
In the interview, Heerema told the detective he felt like a "monster" but had meant no harm to the teens he's accused of targeting.
"I never felt like I was trying to manipulate them," Heerema tells child abuse unit Det. Paul Ralstin on the recorded interview, which continued to be played on Day 2 of the trial.
"I felt like I was responding to them and it was going both ways… I feel like a monster, I feel like a horrible human being."
VIDEO fr Philip Heerema trial:<br>“I feel like a monster I feel like a horrible human being. These people who I came to know came to appreciate in my life, came to me and opened up about questions, concerns who I felt I could open up to you as well and as you say I crossed the line” <a href="https://t.co/Lkr6jF1yaY">pic.twitter.com/Lkr6jF1yaY</a>
—@CBCMegRalstin told Heerema that even though the age of consent is 16, his role with the performance group put him in a position of authority over the teens — which meant any sexual relationships with the students would be illegal.
But when cross-examining a Calgary Stampede human resources employee, Heerema's lawyer Allan Fay engaged in a line of questioning suggesting his client was not in a position of authority.
That employee was Susan Garnett, who learned of an alleged code of conduct violation on Jan. 29, 2014.
Two days later, Heerema met with Garnett. She testified Tuesday that during the meeting she asked if Heerema had ever gotten too close with any of the students. He said he had.
Heerema disclosed to Garnett that one student told him he felt closer to the Young Canadians employee than his own father, another said he was struggling at home with a family member who was an alcoholic.
By the end of the interview, Heerema had admitted he and a student had exchanged nude photos but denied any physical relationships with the teens, according to Garnett. After the meeting, Heerema resigned from The Young Canadians.
The trial is scheduled for four weeks but will not sit again until next Tuesday.
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