Alleged victim testifies at trial of former Regina teacher

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Jeffrey Dumba realized she was a student at the Regina high school where he taught, a witness told court Wednesday.

But she said that after recognizing who she was, the former teacher continued a sexualized relationship with her, which included exchanging sexually explicit images and videos.

Dumba, 52, is charged with five offenses, all dated between June 23, 2021 and September 2, 2021.

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The charges include an allegation that he invited, advised or enticed the alleged victim, who was under 16 at the time, to touch himself for a sexual purpose.

Other charges allege he communicated with a minor for the purpose of facilitating the commission of an offense, distributed sexually explicit material to a minor and possessed child pornography.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and his trial began Monday in the Court of King's Bench in Regina.

The trial continued Wednesday with testimony from the alleged victim, who cannot be identified in accordance with a court order. This followed testimony Tuesday from the alleged victim's mother, who said she thought her daughter may have lied about things.

The alleged victim told Crown prosecutor Loren Klein she met the teacher during the school year before the alleged criminal incidents. She saw him at school and they finally started talking. She said she felt Dumba was a friendly person with whom she could relate and share her life's challenges.

“I trusted him,” she testified, stressing that she was experiencing stress at home and that the teacher had helped her get through it.

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After the school year ended, she said she “added” Dumba on a social media platform called Snapchat, and they began exchanging messages. However, she told Klein that she had told the truth during a police interview when she said she did not initially know the person she added was Dumba, because the profile was n didn't use his real name.

She testified that the first photo she sent him was of his face.

The conversation was initially about everyday things, but intensified when she was camping and sent him photos of herself in a swimsuit, she testified.

He had complimented her and her body at a time when she felt very self-conscious, she told Klein.

Eventually, as previously mentioned, more explicit exchanges allegedly took place, including Dumba sending nude photos of her and an explicit video, and Dumba sending photos of his penis. She said their sexual conversations ultimately took place over text messages, rather than Snapchat.

She said Dumba eventually admitted that he knew who she was and that he taught at her high school, but at that time he did not send her any photos, including his face.

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“It was like the worst possible situation, in his words,” she testified.

But she added the sexualized relationship did not stop, including the exchange of sexual images, at her request.

She remembers him saying something like, “What’s done is done, we might as well keep going.” »

She testified that after she admitted that they knew each other, Dumba asked her to come to his house. He made this request several times, she said, later noting that their conversations about her coming to his house included discussion of sex.

Klein asked a lot of questions, trying to establish a chronology of certain exchanges, and when questioning the witness, he often referred to court exhibits, which were not shown to the media or the gallery.

She told Klein their relationship was “on and off” for a while, saying the professor would ask her for photos but then suggest they “shouldn't do this anymore” and tell her he had been drunk. and he didn't know what he was doing.

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However, “within hours” he would re-enlist, she said.

Eventually, sexualized discussions occurred less and less as the end of summer approached.

Only a limited number of messages allegedly sent between the two were referenced in court exhibits. She had deleted some messages out of embarrassment, she said.

During one of these exchanges, Dumba allegedly told him: “I'm in a happy relationship” and “I love my job.”

“OK, but don’t text me at work. I won't answer. I don’t want it to be weird,” Klein read, from a message the witness said came from Dumba.

“He didn't want to get caught, I guess,” the witness told the prosecutor.

Cross-examination of the witness had not yet begun at press time.

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