Teacher accused of child pornography possession was reported by ex-girlfriend, trial hears
The ex-girlfriend and former student of a former Spruce Grove high school teacher told court Monday that she found what she believed was child pornography on his laptop.
Christopher Giauque, 34, faces one count of possession of child pornography, dating back to an arrest in October 2019.
Giauque was teaching at Spruce Grove Composite High School when he was arrested and charged. He no longer works for Parkland School Division, a division spokesperson said Monday.
Giauque's ex-girlfriend Reina Grimaldo was the first witness called in the trial held in Edmonton's Court of King's Bench.
Grimaldo met Giauque when she was 19 and upgrading some of her high school courses. He was her English teacher. They stayed in contact after she finished school, and they began dating when she was 21 in 2014.
They moved in together near the end of that year, and broke up several times before the relationship finally ended November 2018, Grimaldo said, under questioning from Crown Prosecutor Craig Krieger.
She testified that one day in spring 2017, she began looking through Giauque's laptop because she suspected that he'd been cheating on her.
Instead, she said she found pornographic videos and photos of minors.
Grimaldo described videos with young girls who she said looked to be between the ages of 12 and 15, and photos of children on a beach. She said she also found pictures of high school-age girls, including some that he'd sent himself in an email.
Grimaldo said she confronted Giauque about what she found, but he denied cheating on her and having unprofessional relationships with students.
"I reflected on it endlessly. I was really at a loss of what to do," she said, explaining that she didn't go to police until nearly a year later in 2019.
She said Giauque had been emotionally abusive, and described the relationship as manipulative. It left her feeling like she wouldn't be believed if she said something, she testified.
"I had finally confided in a friend about what I found, and she convinced me of the severity," she said.
During cross examination, defence lawyer Will van Engen challenged Grimaldo on the timeline of her allegations. She acknowledged that she initially told police she searched the computer in 2018, but then later told them it had been in 2017.
Van Engen put it to her that she had actually continued seeing Giauque until a few days before she reported him to police.
"He had reached out to me in an attempt to get back together, but I was not open to," she said.
He also put it to her that she went on Giauque's laptop and put the videos on the computer herself.
"I am going to suggest you did that as a way of getting back at Mr. Giauque?" van Engen said.
"No," she replied.
On Monday afternoon, the trial entered into a voir dire – a trial within a trial – to determine if a search warrant that allowed police to search Giauque's electronics was obtained fairly. Van Engen argued that the judge who granted the warrant wasn't given a clear picture of the evidence based on what was presented to them by the RCMP.
The trial will continue Tuesday.
