Newfoundland police lay 63 more charges against former teacher

A former substitute teacher and volleyball coach in Newfoundland and Labrador — already facing charges of sexual assault and possession of child pornography — is facing a rash of new charges after being arrested again on Monday.

Markus Hicks, 33, is now facing 155 criminal charges, all of them linked to what Royal Newfoundland Constabulary call sexual violence against 24 survivors.

The police force arrested Hicks again on Monday, charging him with 63 new criminal counts linked to 10 new complainants that have come forward to police.

Hicks has now been charged more than a hundred times since police publicly appealed for information about the man in September.

Those charges include sexual assault, sexual interference, child luring and possession of child pornography.

Police won’t say whether any of Hicks’ victims were former students or athletes of his, for fear of releasing detail that could reveal the identities of the survivors.

Police say their investigation into the 33-year-old has discovered “tens of thousands of images and videos,” some of them 15 years old.

Hicks is accused of creating false identities to communicate with children and adults over the internet. In some cases, police say, he impersonated men and women using Snapchat, Facebook, MSN Messenger, BeReal, Tinder, Grindr and Skype.

“This is a file unique in its magnitude,” Const. James Cadigan, a spokesperson for the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, said.

“As technology evolves, so did the tactics of the accused. And as a result, our investigation had to make those transitions from what could be expected 15 years ago to current day.”

Police say he would use these accounts to lure people to in-person meetings, where Hicks would use disguises to maintain the false identity, and make sure no one knew who he was.

“It just goes to show the ability of somebody to deceive using these applications,” Cadigan said.

“It’s important to speak to anybody that’s going to engage — certainly our children who are going to use these apps… to allow them to understand the risk of engaging with those that they do not know personally on these applications.”

The former teacher has been taken into custody in a jail in central Newfoundland.

His lawyer has told a judge at Newfoundland and Labrador’s Provincial Court that he will likely plead not guilty to some of the charges.

Police in the province are continuing their investigation into Hicks, and continue to ask for the public’s help.

“We certainly believe there are others who have been in contact with Hicks through these social media applications and other chat applications,” Cadigan said Tuesday.

“If you believe you've been in contact or are impacted by this and you don't wish to come forward to the RNC, you know, speak to somebody — recognize that you need to protect yourself and your wellness. That’s the priority with this event.”

With files from NTV 

If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, the following resources are available to support people in crisis:

If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety, you should call 911.

A full list of sexual assault centres in Canada that offer information, advocacy and counselling can be found ​at the website for the Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres. 

National Residential School Crisis Line: [phone]

24-hour crisis line: 416 597 8808 

Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: [phone] 

Trans Lifeline: [phone]

Sexual misconduct support for current or former members of the Armed Forces: [phone]

Read about your rights as a victim here.