Fifteen-year-old Jeremiah Perry drowned on a school-run camping trip in 2017.Supplied
Defence lawyers for a Toronto teacher charged in the drowning death of a teenage student argue he shouldn’t be held to a higher standard than the “average parent” in assessing the care and supervision he provided.
Nicholas Mills has pleaded not guilty to criminal negligence causing death in connection with the drowning of 15-year-old Jeremiah Perry on a school canoe trip.
Prosecutors allege Mr. Mills neglected or ignored safety rules in planning and leading the July, 2017, trip to Algonquin Provincial Park.
The teacher has acknowledged he did not follow some rules he felt did not align with industry standards or common practice.
But he has maintained the trip was safe, and had stricter safety requirements in place than similar excursions in the private sector.
In its closing submissions today, the defence says while Mr. Mills’s behaviour is “not immune from criticism,” it is also “nowhere near criminal.”
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