Former Brant County councillor found not guilty of sexually assaulting Hamilton teen

A former Brant County councillor was acquitted last week on one charge each of sexual assault and sexual touching in a case involving a Hamilton teenager.

Leonard Bekendam, who was once a rural councillor and police board member in Brant County, was charged in April 2019. Bekendam, then 61, is from Hamilton but previously lived in Brant County and the Brantford area.

Hamilton police began investigating in March 2019 after a then-14-year-old was allegedly given cannabis and sexually assaulted at an address in central Hamilton. During their investigation, police also identified a second potential victim - then 15. But additional charges related to that case were later withdrawn.

The identities of both teens are protected by a publication ban.

When delivering his verdict, Justice Dale Parayeski referenced the background of the alleged victim - who was new to the city and had recently moved into a foster home - and described the lead up to and aftermath of the alleged assault, which included the teen returning home unquestionably impaired by marijuana."

Parayeski said Bekendam's defence raised reasonable doubt" rooted in the accused's theory that the complainant made up the story of the assault and touching ... to deflect the consequences of arriving at the foster home beyond curfew and well-impaired by marijuana," he added.

That could have resulted in the teen being punished with a grounding," which Parayeski said could be a considerable issue" for a socially-isolated young person." He also noted evidence that the teen was a solitary young person," who was separated from his family and previous friends in a new city, in a new foster home and school."

In sum, the defence has raised a reasonable doubt, logically derived from the evidence and the lack thereof, such that I cannot be sure of his guilt to the requisite degree," Parayeski said. The assault described may well have taken place, but that is not enough."

Bekendam, who did not testify in the judge-only trial, is a registered sex offender after pleading guilty to charges involving 10 victims and assaults from 1981 to 2010. He was sentenced to four years in prison in 2013.

Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com