Eighty-two-year-old Fred Archer appeared in a Calgary courtroom Monday to face charges stemming from allegations of sexual incidents going back decades. Archer faces charges of sexual assault, sexual interference and sexual exploitation in connection with alleged incidents between June 1994 and September 1995 involving a boy who was then aged 13. The boy, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, is referred to as JR in court. During opening arguments, Crown Prosecutor Gianna Argento told Justice Brandy Shaw that Archer first befriended JR’s father and later developed a “very close relationship” where Archer ended up in a caretaker role over JR. She told court Archer would look after JR while his father worked out of town for weeks. Archer is accused of sexually abusing JR during a 15-month period. JR went to John Ware School, where Archer was a teacher. Archer’s lawyer, Tim Dunlap, rejected the allegations, telling the court JR’s allegations are “for profit.” Archer was convicted for abusing boys in the 1990s at Springbank Middle School. He was also named along with another former teacher in a massive class-action lawsuit against the Calgary Board of Education involving a $15.7-million payment to 55 former students of John Ware School. The trial is set to last five days.
