A former Kootenay River Secondary teacher has been sentenced to one year in prison followed by two years probation for sexual exploitation of a young person and luring of a child.
Ki Louie pleaded guilty to the offences and was sentenced in Creston Provincial Court today. While the Crown and defence presented an agreed statement of facts, they took different positions on sentencing. The Crown asked for 12 to 15 months in jail, while the defence asked for house arrest of the same length.
Court heard that the two victims were both teenage girls and among Louie’s students. In 2022 and 2023, Louie communicated with the victims via text message and Snapchat, sending and requesting nude photos. He also hugged and tried to kiss one of them.
The Crown laid out a series of what it considered aggravating factors, including that Louie was in a position of trust with the victims and was significantly older than them, that the events transpired over a year, and that his behaviour was “calculated and manipulative.”
The defence said mitigating factors included his guilty plea, his lack of a prior criminal record, and generational trauma from his family background. Further, they said he has faced scorn in the community since the charges were laid and he is the primary caregiver for his mother, who has Parkinson’s.
One victim and her mother provided victim impact statements. The victim said Louie’s betrayal of her sense of safety has been “psychologically damaging” and that her relationships, friendships, family dynamics, and sense of self have all been destroyed.
A forensic report found Louie is a “moderately low” risk to reoffend, but that risk grows if he drinks excessively.
Judge Lynal Doerksen said although Louie pleaded guilty, he has sought to minimize his actions, claiming he doesn’t remember everything he did due to drinking. The judge said statements Louie has made about his alcohol use are “problematic,” because he has indicated he wants to continue drinking in social settings, and he was jailed last year for drunkenness, in violation of his release conditions.
“Mr. Louie does not want to be seen as a sex offender,” the judge said. “But he most certainly is. He says he does not need treatment and is not a risk to anyone. He is only agreeing to do treatment to avoid going to jail. He is not fully remorseful. He is certainly lacking in insight.”
Doerksen added Louie has high moral blameworthiness: “Despite his trauma-filled background, he achieved a respected standing within the community and effected positive change.” Doerksen said that while Louie grasped the seriousness of the situation, he “still seeks to minimize and deflect.”
“For example, his complaint this case has garnered excessive media attention as if he is somehow being unfairly treated or singled out … What Mr. Louie fails to grasp is that people who hold a position of trust such as a teacher and commit such offences will attract the public’s attention.”
Louie, who is Yaqan Nukiy from his father’s side, was instrumental in having the local high school renamed from Prince Charles Secondary and was described as a well-liked and popular teacher. He was suspended upon the charges being laid. Court heard the charges have also strained his relationship with the Yaqan Nukiy band.
Doerksen said he didn’t accept Louie’s denial that he is a risk to young people. “It is sad if not ironic that Mr. Louie would know full well the harm teachers did in residential schools to their students and here he is, a teacher harming his own students,” Doerksen said.
In addition to the jail time and probation, Louie was ordered to have no contact with either victim. He will also be prevented from seeking employment or volunteering where children under 18 are present, and he will be added to a sex offender registry for 20 years, requiring him to report any change of address or employment.
Immediately following sentencing, Louie was handcuffed and led away by sheriffs. The Crown entered a stay of proceedings on four other counts Louie originally faced.
