AURORA (CANADA)
Orillia Matters [Orillia, ON, Canada]
May 7, 2026
By Joseph Quigley
‘He used his position of authority to gain her trust, then he exploited that trust,’ said Justice in ruling
Editor’s Note: This article contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
The Ontario Court of Justice has sentenced a former York Region teacher to three years of imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation.
Tony Paniccia, 49, who formerly worked at the York Catholic District School Board as the head of a special education department, faced the sentence April 30 after pleading guilty in January. Justice Joseph F. Kenkel passed down the sentence in the Newmarket courthouse.
The charges stem from inappropriate contact and sexual acts committed against a student, which saw the teacher of 22 years charged in 2024.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Paniccia began meeting with a troubled teen in a professional capacity, trying to address her skipping class. At Paniccia’s behest, they began to contact each other via Telegram, which would automatically delete conversations, and meet outside of school in Paniccia’s car in a plaza near the student’s home.
They met on three occasions, with Paniccia kissing her on the second occasion.
“Mr. Paniccia told the complainant that he wanted to take her on a date. He was unhappy that they had to meet in the car, but he couldn’t take her out publicly because he didn’t want others to see them. The evening ended when she was dropped off near her home,” the statement of facts said.
After the student said she wanted to break things off, she agreed to meet Paniccia a third time, feeling sorry for him and believing he would respect that she only wanted to talk. But Paniccia violated that trust and committed sexual acts against the victim.
“Mr. Paniccia disregarded her wishes and eventually started touching her breasts and her vagina. He kissed her breasts and her neck. He removed her clothing and told her to take off her underwear, which she did. She was naked, but he remained fully dressed.
“Mr. Paniccia digitally penetrated the complainant’s vagina. He performed oral sex on her. At one point, he moved her hand to his underwear near his genital region, but she moved it back. While this was going on, Mr. Paniccia told the complainant to keep watch so that nobody sees them. He changed parking locations for the same reason,” the ruling said.
The victim told Paniccia that she was disgusted with what happened, and the vice-principal would find out. Paniccia attempted to contact her, persuaded her to meet again and “start over,” but eventually left the school a few weeks later by his choice.
The sentencing document noted Paniccia was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety and psychosis, and had an in-patient stay at the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health in February 2025 after being charged.
While the Crown sought four years’ imprisonment, the defence sought a conditional sentence that could be served outside of prison, given mitigating factors, including his mental health conditions.
But Kenkel wrote that the breach of trust in this case was significant.
“He used his position of authority to gain her trust, then he exploited that trust,” Kenkel said, further referencing the severe impact outlined in a victim impact statement. “Instead of finishing high school and preparing for the next step, her attention was focused on managing anxiety.”
“This community rightly demands that their children are safe from sexual exploitation while attending school. Unfortunately, there is a continued need in York Region for punitive sentences emphasizing denunciation and general deterrence for teachers and others in a position of trust who choose to sexually abuse students,” Kenkel wrote.
Kenkel said it is not plain that Paniccia was having a major depressive episode during the offences, and there is no evidence of a link between his condition and those offences.
The sentencing also includes a recommendation for sexual offender counselling in addition to any counselling related to mental health issues.
Paniccia will also be on the sex offender registry for 20 years, be under a firearm restriction for 10 years, and a non-communication order with the victim and her immediate family.