Local news delivered daily to your email inbox. Subscribe for FREE to the rdnewsNOW newsletter.
more charges laid

Former Red Deer teacher facing additional child sex-related offences

Apr 10, 2019 | 11:49 AM

A former Red Deer teacher accused of child sex-related offences is now facing 21 new charges.

Norman Joseph Howes, 61, now faces 26 counts.

Some of the offences are alleged to have taken place over a 10 day period in Dec. 2018.

Howes’ original charges include sexual counsel of child, sexual exploitation, luring a child under 18 years, make/print/publish child pornography, sexual contact with child.

His new counts include possessing child pornography, access child pornography, make/print/publish child pornography, extortion, three counts of sexual counsel of child, seven counts of sexual contact with a child, sexual exploitation, less than 18 years distributing child pornography, three counts of less than 16 years distributing child pornography and seven counts of sexual assault.

The former Westpark Middle School teacher is no longer employed by Red Deer Public Schools.

Kevin Sproule, agent for Howes’ defence lawyer Stephen Bitzer, reserved election in Red Deer provincial court on Wednesday and waived a reading of the charges.

Carolyn Ayre from the Specialized Prosecutions Branch in Calgary will prosecute the Crown’s case.

Howes’ case returns to court on May 1, 2019.