By Ryan Pilon

Shell Lake teacher was mentally ill

Feb 4, 2011 | 5:17 AM

It’s been determined that the Shell Lake teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with her former student was suffering from a bipolar disorder.

Michelle Marie Francoeur will be in court today in Saskatoon.

Crown prosecutor Mitch Piche said the defence will argue she is not criminally responsible due to mental illness.

“She went into a manic phase, a fairly pronounced one, and the evidence in the agreed statement of facts will show that she just wasn’t the same person as she normally is,” said Piche.

Piche said there will be no evidence given in court and he and the defence will read the agreed statement of facts.

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“The basis of the defence is contained in a number of reports filed by psychiatrists … we also sought an assessment order under the mental order provisions of the criminal code and those all came out basically saying the same thing, that the individual here, the accused, was mentally disordered to the extent that she didn’t really appreciate what she was doing,” said Piche.

Francoeur has since been stabilized by drugs and therapy, Piche said.

Francoeur’s alleged involvement with a 15-year-old male student took place in the fall of 2008. She was charged with one count of sexual touching, one count of sexual exploitation and one count of sexual assault.

She has been suspended without pay since the charges were laid in January 2009.

Piche said he expects the defence to ask for an absolute discharge.

rpilon@panow.com