Proper disclosure or a fishing expedition? Music teacher in criminal harassment case seeks contents of victim's phone

Bevin van Liempt, 34, is facing two trials for alleged predatory behaviour of two different teenage girls in two cities

A Chilliwack music teacher’s two criminal harassment trials took two different turns over the last week.

Bevin van Liempt is mid-trial charged with the criminal harassment of a 17-year-old former music student in Abbotsford. During cross-examination of the alleged victim in court last week, on Feb. 4, 2025, van Liempt said he wanted disclosure provided to him of more than 13,000 digital files from the girl’s phone for his defence. This prompted a discussion with Crown, the judge, and the lawyer appointed to conduct his cross-examination regarding whether or not he was going on a “fishing expedition.” 

And today, Feb. 11, Van Liempt appeared via video in Chilliwack provincial court in advance of a trial for criminal harassment of second girl for two days March 12 and 13. The appearance was for a Crown application to appoint a lawyer by the court to conduct cross-examination of the alleged victim because van Liempt is self-represented. He did not opposed the application, which is in fact mandatory, according to the criminal code.

Both victims in the cases were music students of his.

The victim in the Abbotsford case was questioned in person on the witness stand in courtroom 306 at the Abbotsford Law Courts last week. The court list in Chilliwack on Feb. 11 suggested Crown was applying to also allow the Chilliwack victim to testify outside of the courtroom via video, but this application was not made.

The trial in Abbotsford began in November and continued last week starting Feb. 3 running to Feb. 5. The lawyer appointed by the court was cross-examining the alleged victim, who cannot be named because of a publication ban, when it was paused because van Liempt asked to have more than 13,000 messages and digital files on the alleged victim’s phone made available to him.

How many of those messages might be relevant to his case is of course uncertain. Judge Paul Sandhu expressed concern to Crown counsel James Barber and lawyer Chris Terepocki if the accused might be looking to go on a “fishing expedition” to find evidence.

The court must tread lightly to find the balance between a fishing expedition, which could be an invasion of privacy with the need for proper disclosure to an accused to mount a defence. An agreement was made that the lawyers would examine the huge number of digital files and agree on possible relevance in advance of the next court date, Feb. 26.

“This is an unfortunate interruption and it creates logistical difficulties,” Sandhu said. 

Van Liempt's Abbotsford trial is scheduled to resume Feb. 26. The Chilliwack case is back in court Feb. 18 briefly to confirm the trial dates of March 12 and 13, with possibly one more day added.

DeWit did not respond to a request to comment or answer some specific questions sent via email.

Editor's note: Questionable behaviour in and out of court

Two individuals connected directly or indirectly to alleged victims and others who have had bad experiences with van Liempt and his mother Paula DeWit have attended the court proceedings. DeWit is a conductor with the Chillliwack Symphony Orchestra (CSO), and until mid-January, van Liempt was president of the CSO's board of directors. The two are involved in various youth choruses, music classes for young people and singing engagements at churches.

In court in Abbotsford, DeWit was seen taking photos of two people connected to alleged victims outside the courtroom doors. A sheriff was notified and went to tell her to stop. She continued to video or photograph those people (and yours truly) outside the courthouse on a separate date.

Judge Sandhu also paused proceedings at one point when DeWit had her face pressed up against the window on the courtroom door, which he said was distracting him and, as a probable witness, would be a problem if she was listening in. Again, a sheriff had to advise her to stop.

In another example of questionable court behaviour, with the victim on the stand, van Liempt was leering at her with wide eyes, a big smile and contorting facial expressions. Again, this became so obvious and disruptive that the judge stopped the hearing, asked the victim to brieflly leave the courtroom to order him to stop. At the next appearance I attended, the victim was only briefly on the stand, but when she came in, a big smile crept across his face as she sat down after which he stared at her the entire time, while she looked down not meeting his gaze. This was the first time I've seen him smile.

DeWit also tried to bully me twice in the courtroom at the January application to revoke bail by telling me to delete posts about the case even though they were not then, nor are they now, in violation of the publication ban. I ignored her. She then sat near me and gave me a long angry stare, a staring contest she won as I chuckled at the childish behaviour and looked away.

DeWit has also been sending emails to people indirectly connected to victims in the case in an attempt to gather information or incidents of people saying things about her or Bevin that she doesn't like, including, most recently, a Catholic priest. Last week, she used her Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra email address to send out a message asking for statements of support.

“I am under attack personally,” DeWit claimed in the email. “I am being accused of aiding and abetting the harassment of a prior member of our organization. I need your support and help.”

It’s unclear who she says accused her of “aiding and abetting” her son’s alleged behaviour. She has been supporting him, sending those emails out to people connected to alleged victims of van Liempt's harassment defending his character and his behaviour.

In one email to the mother of a former work colleague of van Liempt's from August 2024, DeWit addressed what she said were two rumours circulating about her son, one about being fired from a job, the other about a restraining order.

“Both of these rumours are defamatory with the potential to ruin somebody's reputation,” the email says. “As a mother I know you would not want slander or libel aimed at your son.”

She also incorrectly writes in the email that there was a false rumour going around that the Abbotsford case is about sexual harassment and that the victim was 17. Many of the emails to the victim are about connecting romantically, and the victim was in fact 17.

“Will you help me get the facts out to the public by letting people know those three rumours are false for starters?” she asks, also asking for a list of names of anyone else spreading supposedly false rumours.

"I believe she sent emails like this to several people to try to salvage her and Bevins's reputation," I was told.

While it may not have been aiding or abetting, part of the reason van Liempt had his bail revoked was because his release plan had him living in DeWit’s house, which is where the alleged criminal behaviour took place, where he violated conditions of his previous release, and where he admitted to drinking 20 ounces of hard alcohol every night.

A link to a previous story on the case was anonymously shared on a private Abbotsford homeschooling Facebook group, but a source reported to me that DeWit threatened legal action to the group's admin until she took it down.

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Paul J. Henderson
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