No prison time for Hamilton ex-principal who assaulted young girls

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Published September 2, 2022 at 4:08 pm

Content warning: this article contains discussion of sexual misconduct. Resources for survivors are provided at the end of this article.

A former middle school principal in Hamilton will not face time behind bars for assaulting four female students between 2014 and ’18.

Multiple Hamilton media reports say that Damir (Dan) Ivankovic, of Stoney Creek, was sentenced to three years’ probation and 100 hours of community service in mid-August. Ivankovic had pleaded guilty to assaulting the students when they attended the former Ryerson Middle School.

The Crown said there was a lack of evidence proving Ivankovic sexually assaulted the victims. The final joint submission from the prosecution and defence did not give Justice Tony Leitch the option of incarceration.

The agreed statement of facts read in court said Ivankovic touched victims inappropriately, often rubbing their lower backs and shoulders, and caressed the thigh of another. He was turned 50 years old during this 2014-18 period, and the school was for students in grades 6 to 8.

Ivankovic is not allowed any contact with the four students, and cannot have a job where he has authority over youths.

The names of the four sexual-misconduct survivors are protected by a publication ban.

Hamilton Police began interviewing witnesses in the investigation in January 2019, and Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) promptly removed Ivankovic from working onside in the school.

The last school where Ivankovic was last a principal has since been renamed Kanétskare Elementary School. The name is a Mohawk word for “by the bay.” Its former namesake was a residential school system architect in the 19th century, while also being a founder of public education in Ontario.

Resources

Articles about sexual assault, gendered violence and/or intimate partner violence can be triggering for survivors. There are a number of resources in Hamilton that support survivors:

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