Barbara Joan Baxter, an 88-year-old retired educator, was handed a 65-month prison sentence today after being found guilty earlier this year of sexually assaulting five former students she taught in the 1980s.
Former teacher Barbara Joan Baxter was sentenced to more than five years in jail for sexual assaults against her former students, this morning in a Milton courtroom.
Baxter had previously been found guilty of seven counts of sexual assault on male students she taught in the ’80s.
Justice Kendra Coats shared her sentence with a packed courtroom that quickly turned into a rush of tears, hugs, shoulder pats, and high fives. Of the five victims who came forward in the case, two appeared in person and three joined the courtroom virtually via Zoom.
“This does not define me,” one victim said following the sentencing. “This new chapter in my life starts today.”
Baxter, 88, is sentenced officially to 65 months in custody. Her sentencing had been delayed twice previously due to scheduling issues with her husband’s surgery in May and the Air Canada strike that saw her lawyer unable to make a court date in August. She was found guilty in March of sex crimes against five of her former students who she taught at Pineland Public School in the 1980s.
Baxter, 88, was first reported to police in June 2022.
The Burlington woman remained silent and still during this morning’s process, only removing a black mask that covered her face when she entered the room. She gave a final handcuffed wave to her family, who wiped tears away, as police pushed her wheelchair out of the courtroom.
“It was justice delayed but not justice denied,” Aaron Lealess, one of the victim’s lawyers said. “It has been a very long process but I am proud of what we were able to accomplish.”
Throughout the delays, victims said they had concerns about whether they would ever see a decision.
“I had constant doubts about this,” one victim said. “The first time it was delayed I felt sick to my stomach. I only get so much therapy and I had already maxed it out, so I had to go a long stretch without therapy. The victim compensation fund is not there for us and it is shameful.”
The second victim who appeared in court said when he first shared that he had been assaulted with his wife many years ago, he figured it was something to keep private. Only after hearing that there were others did he step forward.
“When she first read me the article in the newspaper, I was astronomically shocked that it had gotten that far,” he said. “At that point I felt it was my duty to stand up and be heard. To be part of making sure that everyone was accountable. At this point it is a relief that I am not sure I am ready for yet. My life has been so greatly affected by what has happened to me.”
The second victim said he plans to return to life as normal as he can, and to put things forward instead of backward.
