Nova Scotia Teacher Faces Criminal Charges for Alleged Assaults on Students
Matthew Robert Donahoe, a teacher at Dr. W.A. MacLeod Consolidated School in Riverton, Nova Scotia, has been charged with multiple offenses involving four students. The allegations include sexual interference, assault with a weapon, and administering noxious substances. Donahoe was arrested by the RCMP and released on bail with strict conditions, while his employer placed him on unpaid leave.
Matthew Robert Donahoe, a 53-year-old teacher from Bible Hill, is facing criminal charges related to alleged assaults on four students at Dr. W.A. MacLeod Consolidated School in Riverton, Nova Scotia. The incidents are reported to have occurred between September 3 and September 10.
The charges against Donahoe include sexual interference, sexual assault, and assault involving children under the age of 14. Specific allegations detailed in the reports include touching a student for a sexual purpose, assaulting another student by choking them and using a chair as a weapon, and administering the noxious substance lorazepam to a third student.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) received information regarding the alleged assaults on September 10 and subsequently arrested Donahoe on Wednesday. He appeared in Pictou provincial court on Thursday, where Judge Pam Williams granted bail with the consent of the Crown. Donahoe was released on $10,000 bail subject to strict conditions, including a curfew from midnight to 6 a.m. and a requirement to reside with his surety in Dartmouth.
Under the bail conditions, Donahoe is prohibited from contacting the four alleged victims or being within 500 metres of their homes or schools. He is also barred from attending public parks or pools and is forbidden from possessing weapons, except for knives used for food preparation.
In response to the initial report, the Central Chignecto Regional Centre for Education cut off Donahoe’s access to the school premises and placed him on unpaid leave. Support has been provided to the affected students, and a publication ban remains in place to protect the identities of the victims.
Legal firm MacGillivray Law has announced its intention to file a class-action lawsuit against both the Central Chignecto Regional Centre for Education and Donahoe in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court. Further court proceedings regarding the criminal charges are scheduled for October 19.