A former professor at the University of King’s College will stand trial next February on a charge of sexually assaulting a young man on the Halifax campus 33 years ago.
Lawyer Stan MacDonald appeared in Halifax provincial court by phone Friday and entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of Wayne John Hankey, 76.
Judge Gregory Lenehan scheduled the trial for Feb. 24, 2022.
Lawyers will return to court next month for a pre-trial conference.
Hankey, a former Anglican priest who lives in Halifax, is alleged to have committed the offence in a student residence in March 1988.
Halifax Regional Police announced the charge against Hankey on Feb. 1, saying the alleged victim had reported the incident to them last September.
The identity of the complainant is protected by a publication ban.
Hankey was arrested Jan. 29 and released on an undertaking to police that requires him to stay away from any school, education centre, college, university or church where anyone under the age of 25 is likely to be present.
He’s also prohibited from having contact with the complainant and two other people.
Hankey was arraigned on the charge Monday, when the case was adjourned until Friday for Crown election.
On Friday, prosecutor Carla Ball announced she and colleague Tim Leatch were proceeding indictably on the charge.
That meant Hankey could have elected to be tried in Nova Scotia Supreme Court, either by a judge alone or by a judge and jury. Instead, he elected to have the matter heard by a provincial court judge.
Hankey retired from King’s in 2015. He also lectured at neighbouring Dalhousie University until he was charged.
He was disciplined by King’s and the Anglican Church in 1991 after another former student complained he had been sexually abused while attending the university. An ecclesiastical court convicted Hankey of immorality and decided to deprive him of his office.
King’s has hired Toronto lawyers Janice Rubin - a leading authority on workplace harassment and investigations - and Elizabeth Bingham to conduct an independent review into the alleged 1988 sexual assault.
Their review is expected to determine the facts of the alleged incident, the impact of what happened, and whether any officials at King’s had knowledge of the event or took any actions. It will also make recommendations on how the university should respond.
The review will also consider the facts and reasoning behind the sanction imposed on Hankey by the school 30 years ago and whether there are other incidents involving him that are relevant.
