Former Gilman School teacher found guilty of all nine charges in sex abuse trial

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Former Gilman School teacher Christopher Bendann was found guilty on all nine charges on Wednesday.

According to the Public Prosecution Service, it took less than an hour for the jury to deliberate and reach a verdict after just 55 minutes.

Bendann decided not to testify on Wednesday.

In its plea, the Public Prosecution Service argued that the relationship between the victim and Bendann began when the victim was 14 or 15 years old.

They said Bendann “saw vulnerability” and took advantage of it, often calling the victim his “puppy.”

They again pointed to video evidence showing the victim being forced to masturbate and touched as a minor by Bendann, whom they called not only a former teacher but also a “former wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

They presented metadata from the videos, which they say proves he was under 18 when the videos were made.

According to them, the relationship escalated into cyberstalking, with him threatening to expose the victim if he stopped sending photos.

“The victim had no relationship, the victim was in hell,” the prosecutor said, adding: “He clung to that child and never let go. It’s time to let him go and find him guilty.”

The defense does not contest the cyberstalking charge and admits that Bendann “lost his mind” when the victim went away to college.

As for the other charges, they presented the relationship between the two as consensual, calling it “romantic.” They claimed it all happened after the victim turned 18.

His attorney told the jury that if the victim was sexually exploited as a minor, “the family would have known about it,” and so would his best friend.

The defense also said he “would have reported the abuse.”

The victim said: “Being abused by your teacher for years is not something to be proud of.”

The defense also claims that the telephone records provided by the prosecution are incorrect.

If convicted, Bendann faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for each of the five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and a maximum sentence of 10 years for possession of child pornography.