Jerome Khan, the lawyer representing embattled Bishops’ High School Teacher, Coen Jackson, is claiming that the police investigations into his client’s alleged sexual misconduct “has been poisoned and tainted” by Cultural Policy Advisor at the Ministry of Social Cohesion, Ruel Johnson, through social media and his [Johnson] connections in the mainstream media.
Khan, in a statement issued on Saturday, noted that Jackson is ready to cooperate fully with the police.
The Education Ministry completed their investigation into allegations that the 39-year-old teacher engages in sexual activities with his students and the matter has been transferred to the Guyana Police Force while Jackson has been sent on administrative leave pending the outcome of the case.
Jackson’s actions were first brought to light by Johnson who detailed numerous reports he received from present and past students of the teacher, who allegedly sexualized his lessons, had inappropriate conversations with female students and engaged in multiple sexual relationships with female students. Johnson has so far compiled a list of approximately 30 victims.
Jackson has since denied the allegations but admitted to having sex with two former students of the said school, one of whom he is currently in an intimate relationship with.
But the lawyer in his statement noted that “Johnson continues to use social media and the main stream media to peddle, poison, distort, accuse, try, convict, sentence, and condemn Mr. Jackson, who is very much circumscribed by what he can say.”
As such, he said it is clear that the intention of Johnson is to “further influence and sway the Guyana Police Force’s investigation in a certain direction.”
He noted that the actions of the Cultural Policy Advisor are a denial of due process by including in his letter to the Minister of Education, the Chief Education Officer and other Ministers of Government several recommendations on how the allegations should be addressed.
Jackson has been teaching for some 20 years and past students alleged that he has always engaged in inappropriate conversations with female students and sexualizing his lessons but complaints to senior teachers have proved futile.
The Head Mistress of Bishops’ High School, Winifred Ellis was found culpable of breaching the regulations under the Education Act 39:01 section 35 which deals with “Inappropriate behavior by teachers in school” and which is liable to a first warning. The investigation was sparked by her response to the scenario during which she berated female students at the public school for not “defending” the teacher.
