A former St. Joseph’s Catholic Secondary School teacher should serve six years in custody for assaulting one of his students, a Crown attorney argued in Cornwall court Wednesday.
Apostolos Manolakos, who commonly went by Paul and was known as Mr. Man to students, was found guilty on March 19 of sexual assault and administering a noxious substance. The charges stemmed from a historical incident dating back 20 years.
“Your honour saw the difficulty [the victim] had,” said Arjona, while recounting aspect’s of the victim’s testimony.
The court heard how the victim left school the day after the incident in question, and secluded himself in his parent’s basement for a long stretch of time. He struggled to maintain relationships with family and friends, as well as employment. The victim was 18 at the time of the incident.
Manolakos is said to have lured the victim to his house. While there, the victim noticed the teacher had pornography playing on a television in the basement. Manolakos provided the victim with cannabis, alcohol, and cocaine before administering a noxious substance. The victim apparently told his teacher multiple times he did not have a same-sex attraction. Manolakos is said to have performed fellatio on the victim without consent.
Arjona told the court there were no mitigating factors in this case that should reduce prison time. Arjona addressed how Manolakos’ pro-social behaviour and lack of a record shouldn’t be considered because those factors allowed the teacher to abuse his position of authority.
In terms of aggravating factors, the court heard how the breach of trust should be considered. In citing previous case law, Arjona outlined how the more a youth trusts a person in a position of power, the more they suffer.
“A teacher is supposed to be inspiring young kids,” said Arjona. “This must be denounced in the strongest terms.”
Arjona then outlined how the victim had struggled with his academic performance, had sold cannabis to other students at the time, and was not generally liked by others in the school community. As Manolakos is said to have been helping the victim improve his academic performance at the time, this further establishes a breach of trust.
Arjona highlighted how Manolakos displayed significant forethought and planning in advance of the incident, saying he displayed “persistence in the face of repeated non-consent.” Arjona also argued that despite the victim being a legal adult at the age of 18 during the time of the incident, Manolakos still preyed on a child, as the victim had only recently turned 18.
Arjona stressed Manolakos, 42 at the time, rendered consideration for first-time offenders less crucial, as he had an established responsibility for young people in the community and understood that role.
Arjona said the incident has created a sense of fear in the community, and stressed that parents should feel safe sending their children to school.
In response, Manolakos’ defence attorney called into question some of the points made by the Crown.
Ian Paul argued the victim was a legal adult, which is a clear legal distinction the court shouldn’t ignore. He said the court should consider the sentencing from cases which included similar acts, highlighting the lack of aggression or violence displayed by Manolakos, and the fact the sexual assault was not penetrative.
The defence is requesting 18 to 24 months of incarceration.
Lahaie reserved her decision, and the case is scheduled to return to hear it on May 29.
Manolakos earned his bachelors of arts and education from Queen’s University in 1988, with teaching qualifications for grades 7-12 in English and math. Ontario College of Teachers records show he also obtained his junior division (grades 3-6) qualification in 1995, and Principal’s Qualification Program qualifications in 1998-99. His teaching licence was suspended by the college as inactive in 2019, and his registry record reflects the charges laid against him in 2024.
