Former York Region teacher Robert Aurich felt like his only option was to end his life, as he tied a noose around his neck, ready to leave the world after years of torment following child pornography charges that were eventually dropped.
About a month prior to his scheduled disciplinary proceeding with the Ontario College of Teachers, Aurich informed the regulator he would be withdrawing his membership, and would not teach in any public or private school in Ontario, or work in any position that requires college membership, and will never seek reinstatement.
"It was so bad, I couldn't sleep. I was taking days off of work, going in the next day," said Aurich. The charges stemmed from a photograph of a young girl he had accessed because it reminded him of the abuse he had suffered as an adolescent, he said. In his diminished mental capacity, he thought he had uncovered a global conspiracy and felt the need to investigate it further to help victims of sexual abuse like himself. He emphasizes he did not distribute the photo.
"Having just one photo of an unclad prepubescent girl on his phone who was neither posing or being posed in a sexual manner nor engaged in a sexual act is not something that I have come across before when assessing child pornography offenders," said Bloom. "The reason that I will subsequently suggest as the motive for Mr. Aurich's behaviour is also unusual, as are the circumstances of him accessing it and his course before he did.