Former teaching assistant now charged with sexual abuse of 17 men and boys

A former Ottawa teaching assistant who was initially charged with three counts of sexual assault and sexual harassment is now facing more than 40 new charges against 14 other people.

The charges against 32-year-old Kevan Henshaw now comprise around 50 counts. They relate to alleged crimes involving 17 boys and men.

In a press release Friday morning, Ottawa police claim the crimes began in January 2022, months earlier than the September 2022 date they originally cited when Henshaw was arrested in January.

Their investigation began in November 2023. Police say the alleged crimes ended in January 2024, the same month Henshaw was first charged.

Investigators from the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit continue to believe there may be additional victims in Ottawa and Nova Scotia, where Henshaw worked with youth, the press release said.

The charges announced on Friday allegedly relate to crimes against 14 men between the ages of 13 and 20, police said.

Henshaw now faces:

• 16 cases of sexual assault.

• 12 cases of sexual abuse of a person under 16 years of age.

• Five cases of luring a child under 16 years of age by means of telecommunications.

• Five counts of illegal possession of child pornography.

• Four cases of production of child pornography.

• Four counts of soliciting a person under 16 to sexually touch another person.

• Two cases of sexual exploitation of a minor.

• One count of unauthorized access to child pornography.

In addition, police filed several new charges against Henshaw for allegedly secretly recording conversations with people, but did not specify how many in the press release.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board said in January that Henshaw, who had worked for the board on a freelance basis, was barred from working in its schools in November 2023 when he became aware of a complaint “regarding his treatment of students.”

In an emailed statement on Friday, spokeswoman Darcy Knoll wrote that “the employment relationship was subsequently terminated.”

For anyone who has been sexually abused, there is support available through crisis hotlines and local support services through the Database of the Ending Violence Association of Canada.

If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety or the safety of others around you, please call 911.