An 80-year-old High River man is facing a handful of charges stemming from alleged sexual assaults of students at a Calgary school in the 1990s.
The Calgary Police Service announced on Jan. 22 that as a result of its investigation, Fred Henry Archer has been charged with two counts of sexual assault with a child under the age of 16, two counts of sexual interference with a child under the age of 16 and one count of invitation to sexual touching with a child under the age of 16.
In 2024, Calgary police were made aware of sexual assaults that were believed to have occurred from 1991 to 1995 involving a former teacher at John Ware School.
Two separate victims came forward to police with reports of sexual assaults involving the same teacher while they were both students at the school.
The first victim, who was 12 at the time, attended the school in 1991 as a Grade 7 student and had two classes with the teacher.
According to police, the teacher began to offer additional tutoring sessions after-hours and during scheduled breaks, at which time it is believed he would inappropriately touch the young boy. The assaults were also believed to have occurred off-campus in the teacher’s vehicle.
Police say the second victim, who was also 12 and in Grade 7 at the time, attended the school from 1993 to 1995, when he was introduced to the teacher.
The victim was not in classes with the teacher, however police say they began to spend an increased amount of time with one another, including off school property. Several of the sexual assaults are believed to have taken place at the teacher’s residence and in his vehicle.
Archer will next appear in court on Thursday, March 6.
In Canada, there is no time limit on reporting a sexual assault. Police say anyone who believes they are a victim of sexual assault is encouraged to report it, even if many years have passed since the incident.
Anyone with information about these or similar incidents is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers.
