Lawyers make sentencing arguments in trial of former Saskatoon Christian school principal

The former principal of a Saskatoon private Christian school is back in court. No comment. A jury found 69-year-old Duff Friesen guilty last month of assaulting three students with a paddle. It happened while he was principal at Christian Centre Academy in Saskatoon two decades ago. Now, the Crown is asking for an 18-month community sentence for Friesen. The defence wants a six- to nine-month community sentence. The Crown argued that Friesen's moral culpability is very high and that as the head of the institution, he made the decision to paddle these students. The Crown is also asking for 100 hours of community service, a curfew, and a ban on alcohol and drugs. The defense argued that Friesen has suffered public humiliation, that he's lost his reputation, and that he's also had loss of income. In victim impact statements, former students say they're still suffering from the impact of the abuse. Robin Randall addressed Friesen directly, saying she carried the shame and guilt as if they belonged to her, but was now giving that burden back to him. Jillian Kudryk said she still has nightmares about the school. She says Friesen was supposed to protect her. Instead, he punished her and made what was supposed to be a safe place a place of fear. The school on Pine House Drive is still open. It just goes by a different name now, Valor Academy. Justice Daryl Labak has reserved his decision to January 7th. Aishwarya Duda, CBC News, Saskatoon.