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WARNING: This article mentions sexual violence.
Markus Hicks, a former volleyball coach and teacher, was handed a sentence of 18-and-a-half years Friday morning at provincial court in St. John’s.
With credit for time served, he has approximately 14.4 years left in his sentence.
Hicks pleaded guilty to 54 charges in June — including 13 counts of sexual assault, six counts of luring a child, using a disguise, possessing and accessing child pornography, sexual exploitation and breach of trust. The judge convicted Hicks of 53.
One of the victims told Hicks to “rot in Hell” as he was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs.
The Crown had been seeking 18 to 20 years, with the defence asking for nine-and-a-half to 12 years for Hicks, evaluating his risk to reoffend as “very low.”
Police began investigating Hicks in August 2023 after a man reported that his son’s friend had accepted offers for oral sex through the messaging app Snapchat, at the address of Hicks’s Paradise home.
According to the agreed statement of facts, over 34,000 photos and 11,400 videos showing potential child sexual abuse were found on devices in the home.
Those who came forward about their experiences with Hicks are protected by a publication ban and can’t be named, but many of them were students or people who trusted Hicks, who was in a position of power as a teacher, volleyball coach and referee.
Speaking with reporters shortly after the sentencing hearing, one victim said he was happy with Friday’s outcome and he hadn’t expected Hicks to get such a long sentence.
But the young man said he’ll never truly “get over” what Hicks did to him, adding he doesn’t believe the former teacher is remorseful.
“I think… he’s only sorry because he got caught. I think in his head he justified it,” the young man said.
He is feeling some closure after hearing his abuser’s sentence.
“When this all started …I didn’t even have my degree,” he said. “And now I got my degree, I’m in my second year of my masters and it just feels really good to know that I’m doing all this while he’s not doing anything. He’s locked in a cell.”
The young man said there needs to be more supervision of teachers’ interactions with students, and they should never be able to contact students on social media.
He also had a message to fellow victims, especially those who have never spoken about their experiences.
“You’re not at fault… that might be hard to comprehend, but you’re not,” he said. “You shouldn’t be ashamed.”
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