Phillip Baugniet, a former principal and teacher from several Montreal schools, has been arrested by Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in Victoria, in connection with sexual offenses involving six former students.
The arrest occurred on October 11th, following an investigation that began in May after Montreal police reached out to the OPP.
Baugniet, 80, has been charged with a range of sexual offenses dating back to the 1970s, including seven counts of indecent assault on a male, buggery, sexual assault on a person under 16 years of age, two counts of sexual assault, and three counts of sexual interference.
The alleged incidents took place during Baugniet’s tenure as the principal of FACE School (Fine Arts Core Education), a renowned school in Montreal.
The investigation also revealed that the alleged incidents occurred during the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s when Baugniet maintained a farm in Lunenburg, Ontario, located approximately 20 kilometers west of Cornwall.
The students involved travelled to this location on several occasions during that time.
Baugniet’s also served as the principal of Victoria School and École secondaire Outremont, as well as a teacher at Lachine High School.
Earlier this year, a group of students from FACE School and Victoria School initiated a class action lawsuit application against Baugniet, alleging that they were sexually assaulted by him between 1973 and 1991.
An amendment to the class action application was approved in September, which removed the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal as a co-defendant.
Consequently, Baugniet and the English Montreal School Board are now co-defendants in the ongoing legal proceedings. Additionally, a former student from Lachine High School was included in the revised lawsuit.
Following his arrest, Baugniet was released from custody after a bail hearing. He is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Cornwall on November 16th, to face the charges brought against him.
The OPP is urging anyone with information relevant to this investigation to contact the Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry OPP Crime Unit at 1-888-310-1122.
For those who wish to remain anonymous, the option to report information is also available through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
