'Hoping this gives women the bravery to call': London woman one of 10 complainants against former St. Thomas music teacher
A London, Ont. woman is coming forward as one of nearly a dozen alleged victims of a former music teacher.
“People need to know, and this needs to be talked about,” said the 28-year-old who was a teenager when she visited a St. Thomas, Ont. studio between 2009 and 2011.
A court order prevents the woman from being identified.
“When I heard about the charges a year ago, I was surprised,” she said.
Eugene Francois operated a music studio at 323 Talbot Street in St. Thomas, Ont. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)
In 2021, St. Thomas police arrested Eugene Francois on several charges including human trafficking.
“For the last year, the investigators with the Criminal Investigations Branch (CIB) have continued on with this investigation and combed over copious amounts of data that was seized during a search warrant last year,” said Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnstone of the St. Thomas Police Service (STPS).
“As a result of reviewing that data, several unidentified victims have now been identified to us and the detectives are endeavoring to try and determine who those people might be,” he added.
On Monday, St. Thomas police revealed they had laid an additional 16 charges against Francois that include voyeurism, making child pornography and possession of child pornography.
“It was determined that he had a music studio within the city and he was inviting people over to partake in music,” said Johnstone. “He was surreptitiously video recording them without their knowledge.”
The St. Thomas Police Service is asking anyone who visited a music studio at 323 Talbot St. in St. Thomas between 2009 and 2011 to call them. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)None of the allegations have yet been proven in court.
Francois remains in police custody at this time.
The STPS is looking for anyone who visited the studio between 2009 and 2021. They are being asked to contact CIB to determine any additional victims from within that time period.
“I am hoping this report and what the police put out gives any woman or girl the bravery that they need to call,” the alleged victim said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Montreal doctors' breakthrough discovery about causes of cerebral palsy giving hope
A breakthrough discovery made by doctors at the Montreal Children's Hospital about the causes of cerebral palsy is giving new hope to one West Island family.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Why Kim Kardashian is being sued for 'knockoff' furniture
The estate of minimalist contemporary artist Donald Judd filed a lawsuit against Kardashian this week, claiming the fashion and beauty mogul promoted 'cheap knockoffs' of his furniture designs.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.