Former N.S. school principal denies sexual assault allegations

A former Halifax-area elementary school principal accused of historical sexual assault has denied all the allegations made against him.

Steve Hutchins, 60, began testifying in his own defence earlier this month in Dartmouth provincial court and concluded his testimony Tuesday afternoon. He was the only defence witness called in his trial. He's facing one count each of sexual assault and sexual interference for offences alleged to have occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

A woman who is now 43 says Hutchins assaulted her when she was attending grades 2 to 6 at elementary schools in the Eastern Passage, N.S., area where Hutchins was a gym teacher.

The woman, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, was the first person to testify at Hutchins's trial starting on March 4. She recalled that Hutchins would hold her in tight embraces that made her feel uncomfortable. She said she eventually realized the encounters were wrong and constituted sexual assault.

She testified that they occurred in supply rooms adjacent to the gyms in the schools, or sometimes in Hutchins's office, when she'd hang around school and help him clean up after gym classes.

But Hutchins, under questioning by his lawyer, Don Murray, refuted her allegations. Using photographs and hand-drawn floor plans to demonstrate the layout of the schools, Hutchins said the sort of encounters she described would not have been possible.

He said he never had student helpers stay after school to help him put gear away, and that most students rode buses and had to leave as soon as classes were dismissed. He said he didn't run after-school programs but did run well-attended intramural sports at noon.

He also denied the woman's claims that he and his then wife took her out of school to go to movies and meals.

When asked if he had ever paid "special attention" to the woman, Hutchins answered "No."

Hutchins said he did hug the girl. He said it was fairly common for children to run up to teachers at school and hug them. But he said he didn't specifically remember the girl, saying she would have been no different than any other student.

When asked about the tight embraces the complainant described, Hutchins was emphatic: "That did not happen."

During her testimony, the woman said her memories of that period came into clearer focus in 2023, when she started posting about her experiences on social media. At first, she posted that she had been abused by a teacher. It was only in later posts that she identified Hutchins by name.

Hutchins, who went on to become an elementary school principal, said he first learned of the posts from his ex-wife, who reached out to him via text messages. He told the court that his separation from his wife was "not amicable" and their only communication was usually about their children. However, she drew his attention to the woman's posts on social media and to a magazine article that detailed allegations about him from other women. Hutchins denied those allegations as well.

This is the second time Hutchins has faced allegations of historical sexual assault. The other case went to trial last fall and he was acquitted.

Under cross-examination by Crown prosecutor Emma Woodburn, Hutchins said repeatedly that he didn't remember specific details from that period, because it was so long ago.

The lawyers will return to court next month to make final arguments.