TORONTO – It’s not how Brendan Browne, Director of Education at the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), would have wished to end the summer and usher a new school year. The Toronto Police Services (TPS) on September 1 issued a press release to inform the public that it had made an arrest in a sexual assault investigation.
It is every parent’s worst nightmare. The TPS said that the alleged assault (invitation to engage in sexual activity) took place between June 1, 2019 and December 31 of the same year. On August 26, 2021, police arrested a man, Ugester Prashad, aged 52 with two counts of “Invitation to Sexual Touching”.
He is a caretaker, employed by the TCDSB since 2002. He was assigned to St. Maurice elementary catholic school, 45 Kingsview Blvd., when the alleged assault took place and the alleged victim, a girl, was a student at the school.
A TPS spokesperson confirmed by phone that the investigation is ongoing. TPS offered no further information other than to repeat that Prashad had also worked at Dante Alighieri Academy, 60 Playfair Ave., Regina Mundi, 70 Playfair Ave. and St. Roch, 174 Duncanwoods Dr. TPS agreed that its purpose in releasing these details was designed to encourage other potential past victims to come forward. The TCDSB, despite repeated efforts by email, did not bother to respond to questions that included whether the Board requires a police clearance for anyone working with children or in an environment where children are present.
