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A former dancer teacher on trial for alleged sexual offences against a teenage dance student has denied in court that he had any sexual relationship with the student.
Adam Gregory McKinnon, 42, of Vancouver, is accused of having a sexual relationship with one of his students over a two-year period, when the student was between 15 and 17 years old.
McKinnon faces charges of sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching of a person under 16, as well as a charge of sexual exploitation and a charge of sexual assault.
Charges stem from a time about a decade ago when McKinnon worked as a dance instructor at the RNB Dance studio in North Vancouver, as well as leading a semi-professional dance group at Harbour Centre Dance in downtown Vancouver.
In February, the student – now an adult – testified before Judge Patricia Jantzen in North Vancouver provincial court, describing how they began taking elite dance classes with McKinnon at age 12, and by 15 had joined McKinnon’s semi-professional dance group at the Harbour Dance Centre. Late night classes and drives home alone together eventually led to a sexual relationship with McKinnon, the student testified. The student said sex often happened in McKinnon’s car in secluded mall or park parking lots in North Vancouver, in washrooms and in movie theatres. The student said McKinnon told them the relationship should be kept secret, “to keep it professional” and prevent other students from becoming jealous.
Testifying in his own defence this week, McKinnon told the judge no sexual activity with the student ever took place.
McKinnon remembered the student as a “good dancer” who took classes with him, and said he sometimes drove them home, when requested by the student’s mother. But he told the judge he didn’t touch the student’s body sexually or spend time alone with them on days when they didn’t have dance classes.
Asked by his lawyer Tony Tso whether he had sex with the student before, during or after the car rides, McKinnon replied, “No.”
Asked if he had sex with the student at the downtown Vancouver dance studio or after a particular gig the student had described, McKinnon responded, “Absolutely not."
“Were you ever in a sexual relationship with [the student]?” asked the lawyer.
“No,” McKinnon replied.
In response to questions from his lawyer this week, McKinnon denied buying the student a cell phone.
In cross examination, Crown prosecutor Jason Krupa pressed McKinnon with records of phone calls and texts sent to him by the student late at night.
“You have this young girl who is your student messaging you in the early hours of the morning,” said Krupa, asking if that wouldn’t have caused McKinnon concern.
Krupa referenced months where according to phone records, McKinnon received between 38 and 50 calls from the student, many of them in the middle of the night.
“She’s 16. Isn’t that concerning to you?” Krupa asked.
“I did not see my phone blowing up, no,” said McKinnon.
Krupa asked McKinnon if there was anything he was aware of that would cause the student to accuse him of having a sexual relationship with her. “Is there anything you’re aware of that would cause her to hate you?” asked Krupa.
“You’d have to ask her, sir,” said McKinnon.
“I’ll suggest to you that what’s going on is what she’s saying is true,” said Krupa. “You used your role as a [dance] teacher to develop a relationship with her.”
“No,” said McKinnon.
The trial continues in July, when lawyers will make closing arguments in the case.
