THUNDER BAY - A former educator charged with sexual offences dating back to the early 1980s is currently standing trial to answer to the charges.
The trial against Lothar Endler opened in a Thunder Bay Courtroom this week and on Tuesday, two of his alleged victims testified before the court.
Endler, who was 68-years-old at the time he was charged, is facing two counts of indecent assault on a female, one count of indecent assault on a male, and one count of assault.
The charges were laid by the Ontario Provincial Police in July 2017 and date back to incidents that are alleged to have taken place in 1981 and 1982.
Two complainants were under the age of 16-years-old and one was an adult at the time of the alleged offences. There is a publication ban in place to protect the identities of the complainants.
At the time the charges were laid, the OPP confirmed Endler worked as an educator and principal in several communities in Northwestern Ontario, including Kashabowie, Upsala, and Thunder Bay.
Crown prosecutor, Gordon Fillmore, will call three witnesses during the trial.
On Tuesday, two of the complainants testified of incidents involving inappropriate touching by Endler.
One of the complainants testified about an encounter with Endler more than 30 years after the incidents are alleged to have taken place.
“It felt like I had seen a monster from the past,” the complainant said. “It was unexpected.”
When describing the memory of the incidents, the complainant testified, “they go away until something triggers them. It all came back. It’s something you put away thinking you will never have to dig up again.”
Toronto lawyers, Owen Goddard and Janani Shanmuganathan, are representing Endler.
Cross-examination of the second complainant to testify will continue on Wednesday.