Former North Van elementary teacher, 84, on trial for sexual offences against former students

The trial of a former North Vancouver elementary school teacher charged with sexual offences against a dozen 11- and 12-year-old boys in the 1970s and 1980s opened in a North Vancouver court this week.

Brian Melicke Moore, now 84, taught Grade 6 at Upper Lynn Elementary in North Vancouver between 1970 and 1982.

Moore, who was then in his 30s and 40s, was a well-loved teacher, considered “the fun teacher” by his students, said Crown counsel Eleasha Sabourin in her opening remarks.

His charm and energy meant many of his students were happy to spend time with him on trips outside of school, said Sabourin, and their parents trusted him.

Over the years, Moore took groups of boys on outings to the Simon Fraser University pool, where he would insist it was important to remove their bathing suits while showering with him after swimming, said Sabourin. He also took groups of boys water-skiing, insisting the boys remove their bathing suits under the wetsuit they wore, she said.

On weekend trips to ski in the Interior during the winter, and camping and water-skiing trips in the summer, Moore took the boys to places where he would be alone in a hotel or tent with them, with no other adults around, said Sabourin.

Moore would frequently create a situation where he was in a bed beside a boy and would speak to the boy about sexual matters, insisting that these were normal things for him to teach them about, said Sabourin.

Moore set up situations that allowed him to sexually touch the boys and had boys touch his own body sexually on more than one occasion, said Sabourin.

At the same time, Moore gave the boys treats like allowing them to shoot BB guns and drive his car while sitting on his lap – activities that would be described today as “grooming,” she said.

Moore’s popularity and the special privileges he gave the boys meant students would be unlikely to report him, said Sabourin.

As well, “society’s general discourse at that time around sexuality and sexual offending did not foster an environment that led to disclosure.”

In court this week, one of Moore’s former students – now a man in his 50s – described going on trips with the teacher to water-ski in Deep Cove, and swim at the SFU swimming pool. After swimming, Moore would tell the boys to take their bathing suits off in the showers, the man said, where Moore would also be naked.

On a skiing trip to Apex resort in the Interior, Moore brought beer and Playboy magazines to the boys in their shared hotel room, the man said.

It was there that Moore reached over and grabbed his genitals, the man said.

“It was kind of an out-of-body experience,” he said. “I pushed him away.”

The man said he didn’t go on any more trips after that, and didn’t talk about it to anyone until two years later, when his younger brother told him he was going to be in Moore’s class.

The man said he warned his brother not to, telling him “he likes boys.”

When his brother made comments about Moore at school, his parents got a call from the principal, which led to several of his classmates telling a parent what had happened.

When the parent talked to the principal, Moore resigned immediately, he said.

In cross examination, defence lawyer Mark Rowan asked the man why he mentioned the names of two different motels where the events allegedly took place.

He also questioned the man’s involvement in a class-action civil lawsuit launched by one of the former students.

“You also hoped to get money from the class action,” Rowan said.

"I felt the school board let me down," said the man. "I was very frustrated with it."

Another classmate, now also a man in his 50s, also testified about the trips with Moore this week.

During the trip to the Interior, the witness recalled the group all swimming naked in the hotel pool.

Water-skiing trips also involved the students getting into a wetsuit naked while Moore assisted, he said.

“I remember thinking at the time that he was very close to us, helping us do this thing,” he said. “I remember feeling uncomfortable.”

The trial is set to continue in court this month, before adjourning to dates later in the summer and fall.

In addition to the criminal case, one of Moore’s former students has also launched a proposed class-action civil lawsuit against him.

In addition to Moore, the lawsuit also names the North Vancouver School District, alleging teachers and administrators at Upper Lynn Elementary saw behaviour that should have given them cause for concern. The school district also failed to adequately investigate reports received from students, parents and teachers, the lawsuit alleges.