Robert Kyle Ledingham pleaded guilty to sexual assault in 2024 and agreed never to seek employment in B.C.'s K-12 education system.

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A former Vancouver music teacher has been permanently banned from teaching after being convicted of sexually assaulting a student.

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Robert Kyle Ledingham, a high school band teacher, was arrested in 2019 and charged with two counts of sexual exploitation and one count of sexual assault against a student.

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According to a consent resolution agreement posted Tuesday, the student, identified as Student A, attended a different school, but was volunteering at the school where Ledingham taught between April and June 2019.

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The charges were filed in B.C. provincial court in 2020 before being transferred to B.C. Supreme Court in February 2022. The criminal proceedings were subject to a publication ban.

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On May 3, 2024, Ledingham pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault; the two sexual exploitation charges were stayed.

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He was sentenced to a 15-month conditional sentence, which prohibited him from working or volunteering in any position of trust or authority involving anyone under 18, said the agreement.

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The school district terminated Ledingham’s employment in November 2024. His teaching certificate has been cancelled since November 2021.

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Last month, Ledingham entered into a consent resolution agreement with the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, admitting to professional misconduct.

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Under the agreement, he accepted a lifetime ban from teaching and agreed never to seek employment in B.C.’s K-12 education system.

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The commissioner said Ledingham violated his position of power and trust, harmed the student’s physical and emotional safety and well-being, and committed a criminal offence against the student.

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