Sexual messages with student just jokes, Noel Strapp testifies under cross-examination
CBC
A former teacher charged with sexual assault and sexual exploitation testified Thursday that while he received inappropriate, sexual text messages from a student he taught and coached, they aren't indicative of a sexual relationship between him and the student.
In all, about 8,000 text messages between Noel Strapp and the complainant, whose identity is covered under a publication ban, were gathered by the police, but only eight mention anything sexual.
The now 22-year-old complainant testified Friday that she and Strapp, 39, had about 100 sexual interactions — 10 to 20 of those times including penetration. She said it happened in the school, at Strapp's home, in his children's play house and his car.
Strapp denied all the allegations against him in court Wednesday. The 39-year-old is charged with sexual assault and sexual exploitation — touching a young person for a sexual purpose. The charges stem from allegations made to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary by the woman in 2019.
In court Thursday, Crown prosecutor Jessica Gallant focused particular attention on just a few of the thousands of messages between Strapp and the student.
Gallant raised one message that Strapp sent to a group chat with several of the teenage athletes he coached — including the complainant — in which he said "all of this [talk] is making me right horny," along with a picture of a goat.
He said the message was just some locker room talk, a double entendre to try to get a laugh out of the students before a big tournament.
"This is a strategy to loosen them up, make them laugh," Strapp said.
Gallant reminded Strapp that he was a male coach in his 30s texting with a group of 17- and 18-year-old girls.
The Crown prosecutor also asked Strapp about texts sent to him by the complainant about dreams she'd had, one in which the two got a hotel room together and another about her performing oral sex on him.
He alleged that the complainant was taking medication for narcolepsy, and both texts were just inappropriate jokes based on strange dreams.
"This is just the type of conversation and banter that we had," Strapp said. "The texts were only in writing what she was always doing and saying."
In both cases, he replied to the texts and told the complainant to delete the messages. Strapp told the court the messages were "wrong" and "inappropriate," and he didn't want to be a part of those conversations.
Gallant challenged Strapp's statement, however, suggesting that telling the complainant to delete the messages made things look more sinister, and asked why he didn't make it clear to the complainant that those kinds of messages were inappropriate.
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