Michael Joel-Hansen
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Instead of going to trial, John Olubobokun has pleaded guilty to historical assault charges while he was the director of a private Christian school in Saskatoon’s north end.
Olubobokun, 64, pleaded guilty to five counts of assault with a weapon stemming from his time at Christian Centre Academy in 2003, a Saskatoon provincial courtroom heard on Tuesday.
Crown prosecutor Sheryl Fillo read a statement of facts in court. A publication ban prevents any details from being reported to ensure Olubobokun’s co-accused, Duff Arthur Friesen, gets a fair trial. Some of his charges are still before the court.
The historical charges against the two men date back to their employment at Christian Centre Academy, when Olubobokun was the director and Friesen was the principal.
The school, which has been renamed since charges were laid in 2021 and 2022, is currently called Valour Academy. It is affiliated with Encounter Church, which was previously known as Saskatoon Christian Centre and Mile Two Church.
Olubobokun was recently given an 18-month conditional sentence after being convicted of nine counts of assault with a weapon for hitting students with a wooden paddle as a form of “scriptural punishment” between 2003 and 2007.
In May, a Saskatoon Court of King’s Bench jury found Friesen, 67, guilty of one count of assault with a weapon and not guilty of three additional counts. He is still waiting to be sentenced. The evidence from Friesen’s trial is protected by a publication ban.
Olubobokun is set to return to court on Thursday for sentencing submissions.
