Review seeks Halifax University ‘protection’ late professor accused of sexual assaultOUS News

An independent review into the historic sexual assault allegations against Wayne Hankey found that the former Halifax professor used his position to abuse young men, and that the school that accepted him knew about his behavior and failed to take appropriate action.

The partially redacted report, released publicly Wednesday, said King’s College “lacked” its response after learning of Hankey’s inappropriate behavior.

Hankey, a former professor, was due to go on trial last March to face multiple sexual assault charges related to alleged incidents in the 1970s and 1980s.

While he retired from King’s in 2015, Hankey was still teaching at Dalhousie University when he was first charged in 2021.

The charges against him were dropped in February 2022 after Hankey died at the age of 77. At the time, King’s University said the university’s independent review process was scheduled for February. 2021 will continue despite Hankey’s death.

The review, prepared by lawyers Janice Rubin and Elizabeth Bingham of the Toronto law firm Rubin Thomlinson, seeks to determine the facts that led to the allegations involving Hankey, determine the impact on those involved, whether anyone who are in a position of authority and responsibility in understanding these facts and what to do about it. He also made a number of recommendations to King’s College.

As part of the review, 81 people – most connected to the school in some way – were interviewed over a period of 110 hours.

Rubin Thomlinson also reviewed “hundreds of pages of documentation” from King’s College related to Hankey, which he said was “irrelevant” and “generally unhelpful in establishing the critical facts.” “

“In our view, this does not mean that some events that we can expect to have been ‘written’ (and not done) did not happen,” he said. “Instead, we think it points to an unfair way to record a record.”

The accusations

Hankey was charged in February 2021 with one count of sexual assault in relation to a 1988 incident at a student house on the King’s College campus.

Police added another sexual assault charge in April 2021 in connection with an alleged assault involving another man in 1982 and added charges of indecent assault in relation to incidents involving a third man alleged to have occurred between 1977 and 1979.

Hankey has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

However, the review noted that the criminal charges “are not the first time his behavior toward students has been considered.”

He said a man filed a complaint against Hankey with the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in 1990, alleging the professor assaulted him “on and off over several years,” starting when he was a student.

The complaint was referred to King and Hankey was disciplined in 1991 following an internal inquiry by a university board. He returned to the university after a one-year hiatus.

While the committee found it to be an “inappropriate relationship,” members believed it was consensual and “not a case of criminal assault.”

The review said that the commission had made a draft, but it was destroyed in 2003, “when the president at that time was finishing his term and renewed his office.

He said: “He found out it was in his files and decided that because the Church and the university had acted on the complaints, the matter was settled.”

“He didn’t want to leave the news for others to find out, in part, out of respect for the privacy of those involved.”

The review said the 1991 disciplinary process was “misleading as to the nature of the relationship between Dr. Hankey and the man.”

“According to the plain language of the man’s complaint, in which he claims to have been assaulted, which the panel believes Dr Hankey admitted, it is clear that what Dr Hankey did went well beyond professional or relational misconduct. it’s necessary. ,” he said.

“She has repeatedly had sex with the man without his consent.”

The man who made the complaint in 1990 said in an interview for the review that it was a “horrific experience”.

“The man, now in his early sixties, described to us a lifetime of abuse, and of making a complaint to Dr. Hankey,” he said. “This included mental issues, health effects, strain on his family relationships, the end of many friendships, and ultimately, his decision to leave Nova Scotia with his family.”

The review also found that the committee’s focus was disproportionate, failing to connect the dots with an earlier incident in 1981 where Hankey was seen swimming naked in the school pool with a boy.

School ‘protection’ Hankey: news

The review, which detailed a list of Hankey’s alleged inappropriate behavior spanning from the late 1970s to 2019, said the former professor “engaged in a pattern of abusive and abusive behavior toward some young people.”

This behavior includes indecent solicitation, sexual innuendo, homophobic comments and sexual assault.

He said that most of his behavior was connected to Hankey’s work at King, and “based on what the investigators told us, Dr. Hankey was able to use his position to do this.”

“He benefits young men through his education and social life at King’s, as well as his position as a gift in King’s residence,” he said. “For that, we believe that King’s is responsible for its role in the harm that Dr. Hankey has caused.”

The review said it found “many specific incidents” where King’s observed Hankey’s “problematic behaviour”.

“Through our review of the evidence, what also appears are instances where the university protected Dr. Hankey,” he said.

The report makes a number of recommendations, which include issuing a public apology, continuing to seek information about other potential victims and making reparations to individuals harmed by Hankey – which could include financial compensation.

He said the reform was the “most pressing” policy.

“We strongly believe that there is an obligation on King to make amends to those men who were directly affected by Dr Hankey’s misconduct,” he said.

William Lahey, the university’s president and vice-chancellor, is expected to address the King community Wednesday afternoon.

– with files from the Canadian Press