Duff Friesen should serve jail time for assaulting a student two decades ago, a Crown prosecutor argued at the former principal of Christian Centre Academy’s sentencing hearing in Saskatoon.
Friesen’s defence lawyer, Daniel Mol, argued for a conditional discharge — no time in custody, and no criminal record if he follows release conditions.
A Saskatoon Court of King’s Bench jury convicted Friesen of one count of assault in May and acquitted him of three other counts. Lawyers made their sentencing submissions on Friday.
Crown prosecutor Sheryl Fillo argued for an eight-month jail term followed by two years of probation.
Judge Natasha Crooks reserved her decision until Dec. 18.
There is a court-ordered ban on publishing any evidence from the trial — including any victim impact statements submitted for sentencing — because Friesen has a second jury trial scheduled for September 2026.
He is also charged with seven counts of assault connected to his time at Christian Centre Academy, which was later renamed Legacy Christian Academy, then Valour Academy. The school is closely associated with Mile Two Church, now called Encounter Church.
He’s one of three men connected to the school who have been charged with or convicted of assault. Former students alleged that some school leaders in the early 2000s used a wooden paddle to hit them.
John Olubobokun, a former director at the school, was found guilty of assaulting students with a wooden paddle and on Nov. 20 received an 18-month jail sentence to be served in the community.
Olubobokun’s second trial is scheduled to start Dec. 2. He is charged with two counts of assault connected to his time at the school.
Ken Schultz, a former director and vice-principal at Christian Centre Academy, is charged with assault with a weapon for allegedly striking students with a wooden paddle in the early 2000s. He is also charged with sexual assault.
Schulz now has two trials scheduled, one in May 2026 and one in June 2026.
In July, a Saskatoon judge dismissed a $25-million class action lawsuit launched in 2022 against Legacy Christian Academy and Mile Two Church. A King’s Bench judge said the plaintiffs failed to disclose previous settlement agreements with three defendants named in the suit.
