Parent blew the whistle on alleged sex assault by school worker

The mother of a former high school student testified Tuesday her daughter was deeply traumatized after being sexually assaulted by a school support worker.

The identity of the victim, her relatives and the school cannot be reported because of a publication ban.

Blake William Jackson, 50, is accused of forcing an 18-year-old student to perform oral sex on him in his car in 2015. He has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault.

The mother said she contacted her daughter’s principal after a discussion with her daughter’s boyfriend.

“Her boyfriend called me. He didn’t usually call me; we didn’t have that type of relationship. He was upset,” said the woman’s mother.

The boyfriend learned about the sexual assault through text messages with the alleged victim. After the mother told her daughter she knew what happened, her daughter’s eyes filled with tears.

“She became frozen and started to cry. I said ‘it’s okay, it’s okay, you’re safe,” the mother said. “I said it’s a serious crime and we need to report it. It’s not something you have to hold.”

The next day, the alleged victim and her mother drove around trying to find the location where the alleged assault occurred.

“She started to gag,” said her mother.

“She was shaking; she was crying. I know those signs and she was re-living that experience. I’m a mother and I know my daughter. She was hysteric.”

The trial resumes Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax. Justice Christa Brothers is presiding over the trial.