Niagara Regional Police say two international students at a St. Catharines private school are facing charges in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a male student on campus.
According to police, officers launched an investigation in December 2019 into the alleged physical and sexual abuse of a child at Ridley College.
Police say multiple interviews have been conducted regarding the “on campus conduct” of multiple students between September 2018 and August 2019.
Two males under the age of 16, who are both international students, were taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, and sexual assault party to the offence.
The males are scheduled to appear for a bail hearing at the Robert S.K. Welch Courthouse in St. Catharines at some point today.
The two accused cannot be identified under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The victim, police say, is a male under the age of 16.
“The investigation remains ongoing,” Niagara Regional Police said in a news release issued Wednesday. “Detectives have reason to believe there may be more witnesses, potential suspects, and victims.”
According to the school's website, Ridley College is a private boarding and day university-preparatory school with students from junior kindergarten to Grade 12/ PG.
In a statement released Wednesday, the school said it became aware of incidents relating to "an alleged sexual assault that took place between students on campus" in December and immediately contacted police and Family and Children's Services Niagara.
"At this time, all parents of the students involved have been notified. We continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing police investigation and additional resources are being made available to support our students and employees," the school's statement read.
"Due to the confidential and sensitive nature of this situation, and the ongoing investigation, we will not be providing additional comment at this time."
