A London principal already accused of sexual harassment and abuse of power has now been charged with sexual exploitation and sexual assault in an unrelated case.
The charges, laid Thursday, stem from allegations Michael Deeb kissed a young woman nearly two decades ago, his lawyer confirmed to Blackburn News in an email.
It is not known how old the woman who levelled the accusations against Deeb was at the time of the alleged offence. Middlesex OPP have only said the charges are in relation to a female student during the 2000-2001 school year.
In light of the charges, Deeb resigned from the London Police Services Board, police announced Friday. The 49-year-old had been a longtime member of the civilian body before being forced to step down as vice-chair last December while the Ontario Civilian Police Commission investigates allegations made by a local poet and teacher with the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB).
Najwa Zebian first made the accusations against Deeb, a principal at H.B. Beal Secondary School, in a Facebook post. She stated that Deeb abused his powerful position when she was launching her teaching career, pursued a personal relationship with her, and borrowed money from her. The timeline of the alleged harassment is unclear but appears to date back to 2013.
In that same lengthy post, Zebian also admitted to “developing a strong emotional attachment and dependency” of Deeb over time, even handwriting him a “deeply emotional” letter that she now feels shame over.
Deeb has denied those allegations against him.
The results of an external review into Zebian’s allegations against Deeb conducted by the TVDSB were not made public, but both continued to work for the board.
In March, a formal notice of intended action pursuant to the Slander and Defamation Act was served to Zebian on behalf of Deeb. It stated the social media star had between 30 to 60 days to either apologize, retract, change, or nullify her accusations to avoid further legal action, including a defamation suit, against her.
Deeb has been on a leave of absence from his principal position since February.
He is scheduled to appear in London court to answer to the charges against him on May 7.
