Former private-school teacher jailed nine months for luring after sending messages declaring love for teen

A former Catholic school teacher in Winnipeg, Ketan Badiani, has been sentenced to nine months in jail for sending inappropriate romantic messages to a teenage student. The 59-year-old previously pleaded guilty to one count of child luring, after sending over 150 messages to the girl between October 2024 and March 2025 while employed at St. Maurice School.

Judge Tim Killeen, who delivered the sentence, stated that Badiani did not have sexual intent in sending the messages. He noted that Badiani appeared to have genuinely cared for the student and thought she would reciprocate his feelings. However, he acknowledged that Badiani had no basis to communicate with the student in this way.

The messages began as school-related but quickly became personal, with Badiani telling the girl she was beautiful, that he loved her, and that she "looked good in blue." In one message, he even instructed her to change her answers on a test so she could get a better grade. Badiani also shared information about other students and their marks, as well as buying her chocolates for Valentine's Day.

Despite the girl telling Badiani to stop, he continued to message her. She eventually reported him to school authorities, leading to his administrative leave on March 17, 2025.