A teacher and volleyball coach in Newfoundland and Labrador who had already been accused of sexual assault and having child pornography is now facing more charges after being arrested again on Monday.
Markus Hicks, 33, is being accused of 155 crimes related to sexual violence against 24 people, according to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.
The police arrested Hicks on Monday for the 63 new crimes he is accused of committing against 10 new people who have come forward to report him.
Hicks has been accused more than a hundred times since police asked for information about him in September.
The charges are for doing bad things to children like touching them in a bad way, trying to get them to do bad things, and having bad pictures of them.
The police will not say if any of Hicks’ victims were former students or athletes because they don’t want to share information that could identify the survivors.
The police are looking into a 33-year-old person and found many pictures and videos, some of them from 15 years ago.
Hicks is being accused of making up fake names to talk to kids and grown-ups on the internet. Sometimes, the police say he pretended to be other people using different social media apps like Snapchat, Facebook, and others.
“This file is very big and special,” Const. James Cadigan, who speaks for the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, said.
“As technology gets better, the accused people also change their tactics. ” So, our investigation had to change from what was normal 15 years ago to what is normal now.
The police say that he used these accounts to trick people into meeting him in person. He would use disguises to make sure no one knew who he really was.
“It just proves how someone can lie using these apps,” said Cadigan.
“It’s important to talk to anyone who will use these apps, especially our children, and make sure they know the risks of talking to strangers on these apps. ”
The old teacher has been put in jail in central Newfoundland.
His lawyer told a judge in Newfoundland and Labrador’s Provincial Court that he will probably say he didn’t do some of the things he’s accused of.
The police are still looking into Hicks and they need the public’s help with their investigation.
“We think there are definitely other people who have talked to Hicks on these social media and chat apps,” Cadigan said on Tuesday.
“If you think you have been affected by this, and you don’t want to talk to the RNC, just talk to someone. Remember to take care of yourself and your health. ” “That’s what is most important for this event. “
Tag: Newfoundland
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Newfoundland police charge former teacher with sixty-three new accusations
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Supreme Court dismisses Newfoundland police officer’s appeal over sexual assault
A police officer from Newfoundland who was found guilty of sexual assault in 2014 will go back to jail after his appeal was rejected by the highest court in the country.
The highest court in Canada said no to Douglas Snelgrove’s request to appeal his conviction. It ends a ten-year legal battle involving a police officer, lawyers, and a young woman known as Jane Doe in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Snelgrove was working as a police officer and wearing his uniform. His car was parked in front of a courthouse in downtown St. John was at the Supreme Court in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2014 when a woman asked him for a ride home.
Court papers say that Snelgrove took the woman to her house, but he didn’t tell his work where he was going or that he was with a woman by himself. Snelgrove assisted the woman in entering her apartment through a basement window, as stated in the complaint.
The person who filed the complaint said that Snelgrove did not leave the property right away and assaulted her when she was too drunk to agree to sex. In 2021, a jury at the court in Newfoundland and Labrador found him guilty.
Jane Doe said that she went to a police officer for help because she was afraid that a taxi driver might hurt her.
The case went to court three times. Snelgrove was found not guilty at first, but then the decision was changed on appeal. Another trial was stopped because the jury couldn’t agree on a verdict. Snelgrove was found guilty in 2021.
The Supreme Court of Canada did not give a reason for turning down his appeal, which is normal for that kind of decision. He went to the highest court because he felt left out of important talks between the judge and his lawyers during his trial.
The police officer has not been working or getting paid since 2015 from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. Snelgrove’s appeal to be cleared of criminal charges has been denied, so now there will be a complaint filed against him at the police force’s public complaints tribunal.
“The Chief of Police has to lead the public complaint process for the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary when it involves the same topic as a criminal charge,” a spokesperson for the police force explained.
“The Chief cannot talk about this case to keep the public complaint process fair. ”
The person who made the complaint said she was 21 years old when the attack happened. The woman’s name and other information about her cannot be published because of a court order.
During the trial in Newfoundland and Labrador, people in St. protested oftenJohn is showing his support for the woman and is upset about the court’s decision to let the officer go free.