Female teacher acquitted of sex charges, now on trial for perjury

A former elementary school teacher in Vernon, B.C., accused of having a sexual relationship with a Grade 7 student, is facing perjury charges for allegedly lying during her 2011 trial.

Deborah Ashton, 48, was acquitted of all charges in March 2012 in the second of two trials. Ashton's first trial on the same charges ended with a hung jury in 2011.

Now, the Crown has decided to pursue charges relating to Ashton's testimony in the 2011 trial.

She is accused of lying about a bracelet she is alleged to have purchased for the 12-year-old student and allegedly lying about whether it was she or her husband who picked up their son at a Vernon daycare.

"Ashton knowingly made false statements to mislead the court," Crown lawyer Don Mann said on Tuesday.

Ashton said the ordeal has been a five year nightmare that has cost her a career, driven her into poverty and devastated her children.