An Edmonton piano teacher is going to prison after he was convicted of sexually assaulting one of his students. Cassius Alleyne was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in an Edmonton courtroom on Tuesday. He was charged with sexual interference in March 2024. His victim was a nine-year-old girl, one of his students. During his trial earlier this year court heard from the girl, who said Alleyne kissed her on the lips and touched her breast, buttocks, and genital areas on multiple occasions during lessons while her mother was in another room of the home. At the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, the Crown said had Alleyne not been a respected piano teacher, parents likely would not have felt safe leaving their children alone with him, and called for a five-year sentence. Alleyne’s lawyer agreed that the offence was serious, but asked the judge to consider the piano teacher’s absence of a criminal record and the collateral damage he has suffered, ultimately calling for a two-year sentence. Several letters were submitted to the court in support of Alleyne, calling him a kind and helpful person, and calling the offence he was convicted of out of character. Alleyne did not spend any time behind bars before trial. He was immediately taken into custody after the decision. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson
