Canadian teacher arrested in child sex scandal at Indonesia international school

This file photo taken on April 21, 2014 shows the main entrance of the Jakarta International School in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta. A Canadian teacher has been arrested in Indonesia for alleged child sex abuse, police said on July 15, 2014
This file photo taken on April 21, 2014 shows the main entrance of the Jakarta International School in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta. A Canadian teacher has been arrested in Indonesia for alleged child sex abuse, police said on July 15, 2014, in a scandal that has rocked one of the country's most prestigious international schools. -- FILE PHOTO: AFP

JAKARTA (AFP) - A Canadian teacher has been arrested in Indonesia for alleged child sex abuse, police said on Tuesday, in a scandal that has rocked one of the country's most prestigious international schools.

The teacher, an administrator at the Jakarta International School in the capital, could face up to 15 years' jail if found guilty, Jakarta police spokesman Rikwanto said.

"We arrested him Monday night over suspicions of child rape. He allegedly committed the act repeatedly in several locations on the school's premises over a period of six months," he told AFP.

An Indonesian teacher at the school was also arrested on Monday for alleged sexual assault, Rikwanto said.

The school has come under intense scrutiny since police in April arrested several outsourced cleaners over the gang rape of a six-year-old boy.

Authorities have closed down the kindergarten, where the alleged abuses took place, and immigration officials have deported 20 foreign teachers for misusing their work visas.

The parents of one of the victims is seeking US$125 million (S$155 million) from the school in a lawsuit, the school said in a statement.

"We are distressed by this turn of events and are very frustrated that our staff members have been detained based on allegations against them that are absolutely false and are made without evidence," the statement said.

The case has brought attention to the high incidence of child sex at schools across the country.

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