BCAA Langley now open Sunda ys! 11 - 5 TUESDAY February 11, 2014 • www.langleytimes.com NEWS Bridge Revenue Falls Short
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ARTS & LIFE Survival of the Chillest
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SPORTS District Champs Crowned
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The Langley atom A4 Eagles were in awe when they were surprised with the Stanley Cup at Twin Rinks on Wednesday night, Feb. 5. The Eagles were the winners of the Scotiabank Surprise and Delight campaign which sees five minor hockey teams from around the country given the chance for a private party with the Stanley Cup. The Eagles earned the honour by going door-todoor collecting donations for the Langley Food Bank last November. In just over an hour the team collected 363 pounds of food and cash donations of $375. See the full story on page 17. G ARY A H U J A Lan g l ey Ti m e s
Teacher pleads guilty to sexual assault MONIQUE TAMMINGA Times Reporter
In front of her victim and his family, retired Langley teacher Deborah Ralph stood up in Supreme Court in New Westminster and pleaded guilty on Friday to sexual assault involving a former student. Ralph sexually assaulted her former student between December, 1998 and June, 2001 while the boy was between the ages of 11 to 13. The victim contacted Langley RCMP on Nov. 8, 2011 to report the abuse. Ralph
taught him in Grade 5 at James Kennedy Elementary School. However, the sexual interference didn’t occur until after she was no longer his teacher. The court learned that Ralph continued to contact her victim after he graduated from her class, asking him to come clean her family pool. She spent a summer picking him up and dropping him off, taking him on outings, shopping for him and later having him for sleepovers, taking him on a summer vacation and bringing him along on school field trips even when he was no longer a Langley
student. Crown counsel David Simpkin is asking for a sentence of three years in jail for the “egregious breach of trust, given she is his teacher, she became a family friend, he was only 11-years-old and to the grooming elements to this offense and the impact on the victim.” The defense is asking for an 18- to 24-month sentence to be served in the community. Through Crown submissions and the forensic psychologist’s report, the court
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learned that Ralph led a “very ordinary life.” Her parents divorced when she was young. But she has no mental health issues, no addictions, is married — and has been for many years. She also has two children who were already grown at the time of the child sexual abuse. She was around 41-years-old when she met her victim as one of her students. She is now 59. She retired from teaching recently and was on paid leave after she was charged. Continued Page 4
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