Sex assault victim tells court of ‘trauma’

Former theatre director Ray Henderson was found guilty in 2022 of assaulting teenager

Standing mere feet away from the man that preyed on her vulnerability as a teen, a former theatre student of Ray Henderson emotionally told the court how she has spent many nights crying and how she felt an immense obligation to tell her story so others wouldn’t be sexually exploited by Henderson.

“I never wanted to bring this out from my past because that would mean damping the light that was an amazing period of my life,” she told the court as she read her victim impact statement Monday during Henderson’s sentencing hearing in the Ontario Court of Justice in Peterborough.

The woman, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, said the process of seeking justice for what occurred has had a significant impact on her.

“The emotional labour and burden of this process has heightened the instances of triggers that have impacted my mental and physical well-being,” she said.

“Having to confront Ray, take the stand, and publicly relive what happened to me has increased the frequency of memories and trauma.”

In September, Justice Russell Wood found Henderson guilty on one of three sexual offence charges he faced following an illicit sexual relationship he had with a 17-yearold about a decade ago.

In his ruling, Wood said Henderson was guilty of sexual exploitation for engaging in sexual acts with the victim several times while he was in a position of trust.

However, he found Henderson not guilty of sexual assault and a second count of sexual exploitation.

At the time of the incidents, there was a 25-year age difference. Henderson, then 42, was the Peterborough Arbor Theatre’s artistic director, and the woman a young and aspiring theatre artist who worked under Henderson’s guidance.

The woman testified she allowed Henderson to do what he wanted because she started to develop romantic feelings for him and also knew he held weight in the community and in her life.

In her victim impact statement, the woman said, as with other young girls who are groomed over many years, this time of her life was shrouded in continuous gaslighting, manipulation and shame.

“I now see myself in that time, just a child who believed she wasn’t enough,” she explained.

“Ray capitalized on this, and gave me the love and admiration that I had been craving for so long.”

Assistant Crown attorney Kevin Doyle, who prosecuted the case, said the offender was in a powerful position of trust and asked the judge to hand Henderson a sentence of between four and five years.

“The offender inserted himself into her personal and emotional life,” Doyle explained, noting the woman testified she considered Henderson her best friend and idolized Henderson because of his “local celebrity” in the theatre community.

Henderson’s lawyer, Trevor Burgis, told the court the Crown’s position is off base when it comes to four or five years.

Originally, Burgis was asking the judge for a six- to nine-month period of custody or a conditional sentence (house arrest) of two years minus a day, but because of the date of the offence, the sentence for sexual exploitation is a mandatory minimum sentence of 12 months.

Burgis also filed 19 letters of support for Henderson, including one by his wife and father-in-law, which they respectively read into court. Henderson also read a letter into the record for the judge to consider before sentencing.

In ending her victim impact statement, the woman said she hopes something good comes from her coming forward.

“I just hope that the people who have the power to promote this change, consider this story. My story, where I am only one voice,” she said.

The sentencing hearing will continue Feb. 8.

‘‘ I now see myself in that time, just a child who believed she wasn’t enough.

SEX ASSAULT VICTIM