Former school bus driver convicted of grooming a minor

GREAT BAY--The Court of First Instance on Thursday convicted C.F. for grooming a minor. The former school bus driver was found guilty of engaging in sexually-oriented online conversations with a student and attempting to arrange a meeting.

The case began after a complaint was filed with police in September 2023, supported by WhatsApp conversations of a sexual nature between the suspect and the victim. The court determined there was sufficient evidence of grooming and considered that the suspect’s statement that his phone was stolen in the same period, and the messages weren’t exchanged by him, was not credible.

A second complainant, P.P., alleged that the suspect made inappropriate sexual remarks and touched her knee in the school bus. However, the court found that the charge (inappropriate sexual acts with a minor under the age of sixteen) could not be proven because she had just turned sixteen in the week that the incident happened, and C.F. was acquitted of that charge.

The Prosecutor’s Office had requested a sentence of 120 hours of community service and a three-month suspended prison term with a three-year probation period and additional conditions, as well as a five-year ban from any profession involving contact with minors.

The Court largely followed the prosecution’s sentencing request, imposing the community service and suspended prison term, but did not impose the professional ban.

The Prosecutor emphasized that the case shows the importance of protecting children in environments where they should feel safe, such as school transportation.