Fourth trial ordered for Nunavut teacher accused of sexual abuse

By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Editor’s note: This story contains details that some readers may find disturbing. For the fourth time since 2018, a former Sanikiluaq teacher will stand trial relating to charges of sexual abuse against Inuit children. Johnny Meeko successfully appealed his conviction of 29-year sentence for the alleged abuse that spanned 1984 to 2003. Meeko can ask the Nunavut Court of Justice to be released from prison on Jan. 5, 2026, when a new trial will be scheduled. The previous judge made errors in admission of evidence and instruction to the jury, creating an unfair trial for Meeko, the Nunavut Court of Appeal ruled in a decision released on Dec. 5. Specifically, one piece of witness testimony was ruled to have been…

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