Lawyers debate sentence for Sask Christian school coach who sexually abused teenager

Warning: This story contains some details of sexual exploitation

Jennifer Beaudry has been waiting for years for Aaron Benneweis to face the consequences of his criminal actions.

Today she is one step closer to justice.

Benneweis was a coach and athletic director at a private Christian school in Saskatoon that was formerly called Christian Centre Academy. The school is now called Legacy Christian Academy.

Beaudry was a student and athlete at the school. She said Benneweis began flirting with her in 2008, when she was 13, and his behavior escalated to secret meetings and sexual touching by 2012.

In October 2023, Benneweis pleaded guilty to sexually abusing and exploiting the teenager.

His defence lawyer and a prosecutor are expected to present their arguments on an appropriate sentence for Benneweis in Saskatoon Provincial Court on Thursday afternoon.

Beaudry told CBC News on Wednesday she felt ready to read her victim impact statement in court, detailing how Benneweis’ actions changed her life.

“I just hope that it’s a slap in the face for him that he committed a serious crime and that his excuses, whatever they may be, are nonsense,” she said.

“I really want him to see the impact this has on me. I want him to see the reality and the severity of his actions and behavior, and I want him to know that I don’t agree with it.”

An undated photo of Aaron Benneweis on a sports field. (Submitted by Jennifer Beaudry)

Normally, the media is not allowed to name victims of sexual violence, but Beaudry received permission from the court to publish her name so she could tell her story and fight for justice.

Beaudry has not seen Benneweis since 2013, the year she graduated and he was expelled from school. The offenses were reported to school officials that year after a friend of Beaudry’s told her mother what had happened.

The offenses were then reported to Pastor Keith Johnson, then head of the school and the adjacent church, and Beaudry was called in to tell the pastor and her parents what had happened.

Benneweis was expelled from school almost immediately and eventually moved away from Saskatoon with his family.

The pastor had encouraged Beaudry and her mother, who also worked at the school, to file a police report. However, they said the pastor told them to tell police it started when Beaudry was 16, not 13, to “make it easier on Aaron” – and they complied with his request. Beaudry’s mother did not push for consequences.

Jennifer Beaudry waited for years for her experiences to be taken seriously and for the man who exploited her to be held accountable. (Kendall Latimer/CBC)

In August 2022, Beaudry went to the police again and stated that the crimes occurred when she was under 16 years old.

Police and prosecutors filed charges.

Whatever the judge decides, Beaudry said she will not let the ruling dictate her recovery.

“Ultimately, my degree is not tied to the number of months or years he gets. He has to face accountability and responsibility.”

Benneweis’s lawyer sent a statement to CBC News after his client pleaded guilty, saying the former coach “accepted responsibility for the highly inappropriate relationship he had with a juvenile athlete while in a position of trust with her.”

“He has never denied the inappropriate nature of this relationship and has accepted responsibility for his actions since his termination of his employment at Legacy School in 2012,” added defense attorney Brian Pfefferle.

Beaudry said trying to put the depth of her feelings into words while writing her victim impact statement was an emotional process.

“I’ve realized that a lot of it is a kind of deep anger – but anger for justice and not just simple anger, although that would be an easy way out,” she said.

It made her think about where she might have been in life if Benneweis had never fallen victim to her.

“It was also a big reality check of how this has really, honestly, affected my life to this day – my relationships, my past decisions,” she said

“But it just reminds me why I do what I do and I just have to fight this fight.”

Numerous other people charged with inappropriate behavior

Benneweis is one of four former school officials who have been charged with criminal offenses for their alleged conduct toward students who attended the school and the adjacent church.

A civil lawsuit can also be filed in court.

Many former students of the private school are demanding $25 million in compensation and other unspecified damages. They also want the immediate and permanent closure of the school and a permanent ban on all defendants from working in schools with minors.

The individuals named were staff, volunteers, leaders or “elders” of the former Saskatoon Christian Centre Church and Christian Centre Academy, now known as Mile Two Church and Legacy Christian Academy.

None of the allegations made in the proposed class action lawsuit have been tested in court.

There is support available for anyone who has been sexually abused. You can access crisis hotlines and local support services through this Canadian government website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.