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'I feel like a monster,' ex-Young Canadians employee tells police in video shown at teen sex abuse trial

'Morally despicable' former Young Canadians staffer sentenced to 10 years for teen sex abuses

In his first interview with police after being arrested on child sex abuse charges, Philip Heerema — then employed at the Young Canadians School of Performing Arts in Calgary — told the detective he felt like a "monster" but had meant no harm to the teens he's accused of targeting.

Heerema is on trial on 20 charges including sexual assault, sexual exploitation, child pornography and luring involving eight young men who were teens at the time of the alleged offences.

"I never felt like I was trying to manipulate them," Heerema tells child abuse unit Det. Paul Ralstin on the recorded interview, which continued to be played on Day 2 of the trial.

"I felt like I was responding to them and it was going both ways… I feel like a monster, I feel like a horrible human being."

The 55-year-old man was with The Young Canadians for 36 years, beginning when he was a teenage performer and later as an employee. The Young Canadians perform in the Calgary Stampede grandstand show every year.

On Monday, Ralstin began playing a video of the interview he'd conducted with Heerema after his arrest in June 2015, during which court heard the officer accuse the suspect of "classic pedophile behaviour."

Court heard Ralstin tell Heerema that even though the age of consent is 16 years old, his role with the performance group meant he was in a position of authority over the teens — which meant any sexual relationships with the students would be illegal.

Nude photos exchanged

More than a year before Heerema spoke with police, he met with Susan Garnett, who was in the human resources department with the Stampede.

She was prosecutor Martha O'Connor's second witness.

Garnett testified that on Jan. 29, 2014, she was informed Heerema was being accused of a code of conduct violation.

Two days later, Heerema met with Garnett. She testified that during the meeting she asked if Heerema had ever gotten too close with any of the students. He said he had.

Heerema disclosed to Garnett that one student told him he felt closer to the Young Canadians employee than his own father, another said he was struggling at home with a family member who was an alcoholic.

By the end of the interview, Heerema had admitted he and a student had exchanged nude photos but denied any physical relationships with the teens, according to Garnett. After the meeting, Heerema resigned from The Young Canadians.

The trial presided over by Court of Queen's Bench Justice Larry Ackerl is scheduled for four weeks. Senior defence lawyer Allan Fay is representing Heerema.

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