A former principal of a Saskatoon private Christian school might not spend any time in jail for paddling three students. The crown and defence both presented sentencing arguments Thursday, asking for Duff Friesen, who was found guilty in September on three counts of assault with a weapon, to serve his sentence in the community. The crown argued for a sentence of 18 months, with an evening curfew, to be served in the community, plus 100 hours of community service. The defence argued for a six-to-nine-month sentence with no curfew and no community hours. Friesen, 69, was found guilty of assaulting three students with a wooden paddle roughly 20 years ago while he was principal of Christian Centre Academy. The school has since rebranded, first to Legacy Christian Academy and more recently Valour Academy. Friesen was found not guilty on two other charges. The court heard victim impact statements on Thursday, with one former student detailing what’s happened to her since. “My body has never forgotten it, and neither has my mind,” Robynne Randall said. “Afterward, I lived with constant anxiety at school. I do not remember a time when I was not afraid of getting in trouble or being subjected to punishment.” The defence argued the paddling was part of a disciplinary policy at the school, and Friesen never struck students in any other part of their body, and never did so in anger. The defence also said a six-to-nine-month sentence would be a more fitting sentence for the offences, when compared to recent similar cases. John Olubobokun, a former director of the school, was given an 18-month sentence last year for nine counts of assault with a weapon on former students. He was later given a five-month sentence for an additional five charges he was found guilty of. Friesen has already been sentenced for crimes while he was working at the school. He was previously handed a six-month sentence for assault with a weapon, to be served in the community. Justice Daryl Labach reserved his decision until Jan. 7, 2027.
