A male dance instructor is facing indecent assault charges following an incident involving a 12-year-old girl, who has been a student of one of his classes since she was five.
The child’s mother told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) that she discovered on January 11 that her teen daughter and the dance instructor (name withheld) had been communicating via WhatsApp.
The woman said she was shocked by the content of the messages, which she indicated to this publication were X-rated and contained sexual advances made by the instructor.
The woman questioned her teen daughter about it and she told her mother that her dance instructor had not only made sexual advances towards her, but he touched her inappropriately.
While the woman did not reveal greater details, she told SNO that the child related to her that the dance instructor allegedly took her to his place, where he touched her private parts.
“She said she was scared and was worried about him going to jail and like the other dancers knew…and the way they would watch her…so she was afraid to talk about it,” the mother explained
The angry woman said after listening to her daughter’s story, she decided to contact the Human Services Department and they referred her to the Vulnerable Persons Unit of the Police Force.
The matter was investigated and a statement was taken from the teen.
The dance instructor was then arrested a couple days later and made his first court appearance on January 22, where he was charged and later placed on $4,000 bail. He was also issued with a restraining order.
The mother told SNO that after the dance instructor was charged, he called to speak with her (the mother) and told her that nothing happened between him and her daughter, and wanted to know what the child told her.
However, the mother refused to give him any detail but cautioned him to stay away from her daughter. “I told him I can’t get into that I didn’t tell him what she said,” she explained.
But the mother said she is even more upset that he is still teaching despite being charged.
The woman told SNO that she is afraid that the same thing could happen to another person’s child, noting that many parents trust him with their daughters, but are not aware of the incident.
“As far as I know, that is not even the first case that has happened, but I guess nobody was brave enough to do what is right. He has been a teacher for many years,” she told SNO.
The woman said she is still surprised by the incident because he often refers to his dancers (all girls), as his daughters. And her daughter, like many others, would spend time at his home dancing.
The 12-year-old child is currently receiving counselling and is no longer attending dance lessons.
The dance instructor is due to make another court appearance in March.
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