Retired Ont. teacher guilty of paying for sex with teen handed conditional sentence

Daniel Martin, of Welland, Ont., outside the courthouse in Barrie, Ont., on Tues., May 28, 2024. (CTV News/Mike Arsalides)

Warning: Readers may find details in this article disturbing.

A retired history teacher who pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021 has been handed a 12-month conditional sentence, including house arrest.

Daniel Martin, 66, was initially charged in June of 2022 with child luring, sexual interference, and sexual assault involving a boy he met on the dating app Grindr and then communicated with on Snapchat before agreeing to meet.

The Crown withdrew the remaining charges.

The court heard Martin, who was a teacher for more than 30 years before retirement, travelled and agreed to meet the boy in Collingwood on at least two occasions in 2021. Martin told the court he thought the boy was of legal age.

Martin, the court heard, didn't ask the boy how old he was or take any steps to do so.

They met again weeks later when the boy confirmed he was actually 15, making him about 50 years Martin's junior. After that encounter, Martin ended communication with the boy, but transferred him about $400.

The defence told the court, according to his pre-sentence report, that Martin is at a low risk of reoffending and is unlikely to be attracted to minors, though it cannot conclusively be ruled out.

Martin told the court he continues to undergo counselling.

The Crown sought to have Martin sentenced to two years less a day behind bars, saying he had a history of paying for sexual services and had a sexual preference for young men about 40 years his junior.

Martin previously apologized to the court, saying he should have walked away immediately after learning the boy's age and apologized for any harm done to the boy and his family. He said that in an attempt to help the boy, he made the child's life "a lot worse."

Martin has also been placed on probation for two years, is banned from having weapons and is not to come into contact with children or be at locations where children are known to be, including schools, playgrounds and community centres for 10 years. He is also not to be in a position of trust or authority over children during that time period.

Martin, who resides in both Ontario and Quebec, will not be placed on the sex offender registry but was ordered to provide his DNA to police.

Justice Philop John Brissette said he believed the charges were the result of a "one-off" situation and "some terrible decisions."

The Barrie judge then commended Martin for accepting responsibility for his actions and entering the guilty plea.

"You've done the right thing in my view accepting responsibility and you get credit for that as well," said Brissette. "I hope you've learned from this, you'll continue to learn from it, give back to the community and we don't see you back here again."