A former education assistant at a Whitehorse Elementary School who stands accused of sex crimes against two students entered not guilty pleas for the charges on May 18.

William Auclair-Bellemare faces a total of seven charges relating to two victims who were students at Hidden Valley Elementary, where he was employed. The charges are one count of sexual exploitation of a person with a disability, two counts of sexual assault, three sexual touching charges involving a person under 16, and forcible confinement.

Court files contain allegations that offences against one victim took place between 2014 and 2018 and against another in 2017.

Auclair-Bellemare was employed at the school until 2019; he was dismissed following allegations of abuse. He plead guilty to sexual interference relating to a victim separate from the two current accusers in January 2021 and spent six months in prison.

It was not until local media reporting of a lawsuit filed by the father of the original victim July 2021 that investigation into Auclair-Bellemare was restarted and further victims were identified.

Auclair-Bellemare is scheduled to be back in court on May 26 to fix a date for further proceedings.

Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com