85-year-old former B.C. teacher sentenced for historical child sexual abuse

A man convicted of abusing nine boys has been sentenced to prison—a decision one victim says was only possible due to the courage of those who came forward.

A former B.C. teacher convicted of sexually abusing nine boys has been sentenced to eight years in prison after a judge rejected an argument that the “elderly and frail” man should be allowed to serve his sentence in the community.

Brian Melicke Moore, 85, was found guilty of eight counts of sexual interference that occurred between 1976 and 1982 when he was teaching in North Vancouver, a decision handed down Wednesday said. All of the victims were his students.

Moore was found guilty of an additional count of touching a child for a sexual purpose, in a case where the victim was a family friend who considered Moore “similar to a grandfather.” That offence occurred between 2005 and 2007.

“The strength of character and courage the victims have shown during this long court proceeding, overcoming their feelings of hurt, betrayal, and victimization at the hands of a trusted and popular schoolteacher and family friend deserves recognition,” Judge Robert Hamilton wrote in his decision.

Crown argued Moore should be sentenced to eight years in prison while Moore’s defence argued for a sentence of two years less a day, to be served under house arrest.

“Brian Melicke Moore is a convicted historical child sexual predator. He is also an old and frail man,” the judge wrote.

“This decision is difficult because it involves imposing consequences on Mr. Moore for his historical sexual crimes against his Grade 6 male students and the eight-year-old child of close family friends. Against that background, I am faced with sentencing an 85-year-old man who has a long list of medical and health conditions that increasingly affect his ability to care for himself.”

The judge found Moore’s litany of health issues, which include heart disease, renal failure, and three past cancer diagnoses, did not constitute exceptional circumstances, that prison time was warranted, and that Moore would be able to receive adequate health care in a federal penitentiary.

“Imposing a conditional sentence for Mr. Moore would fall woefully short of meeting the fundamental purposes and principles of sentencing an offender who repeatedly took advantage of his position as the teacher of his victims or the friend of the family of his last victim,” Hamilton wrote.

The judge found Moore’s crimes were planned and deliberate and involved grooming his “hand-picked” student victims—abusing the position of trust he occupied as their teacher over a number of years. The court heard Moore abused his students while on overnight trips where he had persuaded the boys to sleep naked in bed with him. He also abused one boy while out on his boat and another after inviting the child to his home. The abuse of the family friend happened in the boy’s home, where Moore was babysitting overnight.

The judge found there was “virtually no risk” of Moore reoffending and no risk to community safety if he was allowed to serve his sentence under house arrest, given his age and physical condition. Moore’s prospects for rehabilitation were also a non-issue, for the same reason.

While preventing Moore from committing further crimes was not a concern, prison was still warranted, according to the judge.

“Generally deterring other adults from committing sexual crimes against children is a very pressing concern in this case,” Hamilton wrote.

“Other like-minded adults who sexually offend against a child must know that they will receive a significant jail sentence if they are caught. The point here is that knowing of the serious consequence they face if they commit that offence will deter that person from committing the crime.”

The decision also noted Moore has been named in three civil lawsuits, which are still working their way through the courts.

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‘Shroud of shame’

In cases involving the sexual abuse of minors, the court imposes routine publication bans to protect the victims’ identities. However, one of Moore’s victims is identified, his full name published in the decision, because he applied to the court to have the ban lifted.

Dennis Cooper, in an interview with CTV News, said the road to a conviction and sentencing has been long and difficult—describing the seven months between when Moore was found guilty and Wednesday’s decision as a kind of purgatory.

“My hat’s off to everybody that came forward. It took a village to get this guy held to account. And justice has been served,” Cooper said.

He also said he has no regrets about coming forward and speaking publicly in his own name.

“It’s helped numerous other men who have come forward and found me and had their conversations and shared their stories with me that they hadn’t ever told anybody. It’s a common theme right across the board that men hide this in a shroud of shame,” Cooper said.

From Moore’s victims, the court heard statements describing how his abuse and the shame that led most of them to keep it a deeply buried secret for years had serious psychological impacts, including post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and addiction.

One man told the court he still has not told his parents about the abuse because “this would put them in their graves.” Another spoke about living in a constant state of fear since his trust was shattered as a child.

“Living with this dark secret for many years has changed my life,” a third man said.

Cooper said reading his own victim impact statement in court was one of the key moments from the trial, saying he made a conscious effort to look his abuser in the eye—but that his gaze was not met.

“I am addressing this court as a victim profoundly affected by the egregious crimes committed against me by Brian Moore, a trusted teacher who violated my innocence and safety while I was under his care,” Cooper said in his statement.

“The trauma inflicted by Mr. Moore is immeasurable and has permeated every aspect of my life … For years, I hid these dark secrets from everyone—my family, friends, and even my spouses—never feeling safe enough to bring the truth into the open.”

Cooper said he is “ambivalent” about how much time Moore ultimately spends behind bars, but agrees with the judge’s reasons for sentencing Moore to prison.

“I think it was important that regardless of his age and medical condition, that the rest of society received the message loud and clearly that these kinds of crimes won’t be tolerated against children,” Cooper said.

Since the sentence was handed down, Cooper said Moore has filed an appeal and applied to be released from custody pending the appeal being heard.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Kevin Charach