Fraser Valley classical music community shocked at teacher’s criminal harassment charges after years of predatory behaviour

34-year-old Bevan van Liempt charged with criminal harassment in Abbotsford and Chilliwack, both of teenage music students

Those are but a small fraction of thousands of unwanted messages sent by 34-year-old music teacher Bevan van Liempt to a 17-year-old student that were read out in Abbotsford provincial court on Tuesday (Feb. 4, 2025).

Van Liempt is in the middle of a trial for the criminal harassment of that girl, which allegedly continued long after she and her parents told him to stop, and he was warned to stop by police.

The above quotes are from messages van Liempt sent to the girl after he had been told to stop.

The Abbotsford trial continued Wednesday with van Liempt representing himself. Because he has no counsel, a lawyer known as an amicus curiae was appointed by the court for questioning him when the time comes, but also for cross-examination of the victim. That victim was scheduled for that cross-examination Wednesday.

The trial that adjourned in November resumed Monday with one witness, Heidi Epp, the program director of Bakerview Music Academy who fired van Liempt when his stalking of a student became known.

On multiple occasions Monday and Tuesday, van Liempt had people ejected from the courtroom claiming that he might be calling them as witnesses. In the courtroom he had leg shackles on so he could be allowed out of the prisoner's box to be at the defence table.  

He wore a wrinkled light blue dress shirt and dress pants. At one point Monday morning he said he was cold so they let him have his blazer, which was brought by his mother, Paula DeWit, who also brought him his laptop computer, his cellphone and papers.

Someone reported to the sheriff that DeWit was taking photos of people before they entered the courtroom, which is not allowed at any courthouse in B.C.

Mid-trial, new harassment

During the adjournment of the Abbotsford trial, between November and February, on Jan. 3, 2025 van Liempt allegedly continued his predatory behaviour, this time of a Chilliwack girl who also asked him too stop. He was arrested Jan. 6 and has been in custody at the Surrey Pretrial Centre since his bail was revoked.

“I'm going to do this anyway and no one can stop me,” he wrote to the alleged victim who can’t be named, an email read in court at the hearing to formally have his bail revoked on Jan. 14.

“I will seek you tirelessly.”

In another message he admitted “no” doesn't mean “no” to him.

“I will continue when you are 18 even if you tell me to 'fuck off,'” he wrote.

Both the Abbotsford and Chilliwack victims expressed fears to police that van Liempt would escalate from the relentless harassment to some form of violence, fear that was ruining their lives. A blunt response from one of the girls to van Liempt was read in court as an example of a clear response that he was ignoring.

“I find you a repulsive pathetic freak.”

Van Liempt posted frequently on his Facebook page about the accusations against him, posts that were still up as of this writing, where he seems to admit certain of the alleged behaviours but denies the behaviours are inappropriate let alone criminal. 

He has declined counsel and is representing himself, and he seems to be focusing his defence not on whether or not he wrote the hundreds of unwanted messages, but debating the meaning of words and simple concepts. For example, with Epp and the music school he questioned what really is a “code of conduct” and wondered how he violated it. 

Van Liempt repeatedly tries to paint himself as understanding and compassionate and someone who wants to help these girls. Whether he believes it or not is unclear, but he repeatedly suggested that once these girls tell him to stop contacting them, they are being forced against their will to do so. If a girl tells him to stop, he blames their parents or police involvement. The girls want to be with him and he is their saviour, he suggests, but the adults in their lives are the real enemies.

“No Abbotsford Police officer can tell me to stop and if I want to hear you moan nobody in the Abbotsford Police Department can stop that.” That a quote from an email he sent to a victim that van Liempt had Epp read aloud in court Tuesday.

“Do you think these obstacles [police involvement] are so big that they matter?" was another, and: "If any of these adults had the slightest shred of sense they would hand the problem to me to solve.”

One trial ends, another begins

Van Liempt’s bail was officially revoked at the Jan. 14 hearing in Chilliwack. He is now charged with criminal harassment of the Chilliwack girl, and on Jan. 27, trial dates were set for March 12 and 13, 2025. 

When told that he didn’t have counsel, Judge Satinder Sidhu seemed surprised and pointed out the seriousness of the charges.

“I can’t make you get counsel,” Sidhu told van Liempt who was in court wearing a standard-issue institutional orange jumpsuit. “You might wish to reconsider given the serious nature of the charges. Trials are not easy to do. They can be complicated and legalistic.”

Bail refusal exceedingly rare 

It was evident to anyone in attendance, including Judge Kristen Mundstock, at the Jan. 14 hearing to revoke bail that van Liempt has zero insight into the extreme harms he his accused of causing far and wide in the choral and symphonic music world in the Fraser Valley.

After charges are laid and before a trial begins in Canada, release on bail with conditions is essentially the default position, according to the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC), so it’s noteworthy that a first-time offender would have bail revoked for a non-violent offence.

“In Canadian law, the release of accused persons is the cardinal rule and detention, the exception,” according to the country’s top, precedent-setting court in a 2015 decision. That was reiterated in 2017 and 2020 decisions where the SCC ruled that for most alleged crimes, release on bail at the earliest reasonable opportunity with minimal conditions is the default position.

At the Jan. 14 hearing, Crown counsel and Judge Mundstock agreed that van Liempt’s lack of insight into the damage of his persistent and “egregious” behaviour that his release was not in the public interest.

“There is a substantial likelihood if released that he will commit an offence,” Judge Mundstock said.

Accused’s mother isn’t helping

When bail is granted, it is done with strict conditions and with a release plan in place. What certainly did not help his wish to be released was the plan to reside back with his mother, Paula DeWit, where the alleged criminal behaviour took place, behaviour that several members of the music community report was condoned and sometimes denied or defended by DeWit.

In court during the Jan. 14 hearing, DeWit even attempted to bully me, demanding that information legally and fairly reported from the hearing be taken offline. 

DeWit and van Liempt are deeply involved in the choral and symphony music world in the Fraser Valley and beyond. Both claim to be deeply religious and are involved in singing engagements and several Catholic churches around the Lower Mainland. 

DeWit is the conductor of the Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra where van Liempt was president of the board of directors up until the first report on this website about the criminal charges. A Google search for “Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra board of directors” shows cached information with van Liempt named as president, but click the link and the page no longer exists.

The two are also involved with an a capella vocal ensemble called Belle Voci where DeWit is the artistic director and van Liempt is a singer. But it is their involvement with the Chilliwack Children and Youth Choirs (now called Voces Gioventu) where the 34-year-old connects with young people for vocal lessons. On the choir group's website on the top bar as of Jan. 13, 2025 were links to brief musical bios for DeWit and “Mr VL.” Two days later, van Liempt’s link was gone before which it said: “Bevin is currently accepting students for voice and the organ.”

One person connected to one of the victims sent me a screenshot of a posting by Laura Gebbinck of Yarrow in a Fraser Valley Homeschool Events group calling for children aged five and up to join a choir directed by Paula DeWit.

“These two homeschool choirs keep me up at night.” the person told me. “This is how it starts.”

Gebbinck did not respond to a request to comment on why she was posting ads seeking children for DeWit despite the charges against DeWit's son.

DeWit and van Liempt also sing at the traditional Latin mass at the Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver every Sunday. This despite the fact that many individuals have urged the Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver to discontinue their musical roles at the church, calls that have been ignored, according to a reliable source who will remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.

When van Liempt’s bad behaviour was first reported at his job at Bakerview Music Academy in Abbotsford, he was immediately fired. Some church leaders have also banned him, including St. James Catholic Church in Abbotsford. He was also banned from Holy Family Parish in Vancouver and some other churches after the harassment came to light.

I asked the Archdiocese and the office of the cathedral to comment on why the complaints about van Liempt and DeWit continue to be ignored, but received no response. As of Jan. 15, 2025, van Liempt’s name was on one of their web pages with DeWit, but two days later, van Liempt’s was removed. 

And despite being mid-trial for criminal harassment and the many complaints about his behaviour, DeWit included van Liempt in the Dec. 13, 2024 Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra performance of Handel’s Messiah. Van Liempt shared a photo of the crowd from that night bragging about the sold-out show with a nod to the criminal proceedings.

“And full house again TODAY as well; and, because my people are actual adults, we managed to get through all five concerts without any spurious and unfounded calls to the police,” he posted.

One parent in Chilliwack expressed dismay at the fact that van Liempt was also involved in a children's choir at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre even after he was charged.

“This is very concerning as a parent,” the parent emailed me.

Victim revictimized

Cases such as this are very difficult for victims as they are often forced to face their stalker. Tuesday’s hearing involved the Abbotsford victim on the stand the entire day with her continuing on the stand on Wednesday.

When asked about the relentless messages, the victim conveyed her worry, fear for her safety, being mentally drained and experiencing depression because of his actions. She explained how van Liempt didn't just send hundreds of messages but he stalked her physically, showing up at her workplace and school without her knowing. 

While testifying Tuesday, the girl looked down the entire time, never greeting van Liempt’s gaze. 

“He hardly took his eyes off of her the entire time,” someone in the courtroom relayed to me. “I couldn't believe he was allowed to get away with that, I wish they had made him turn his back to her or something. The girl was obviously extremely stressed out and uncomfortable the whole time.”

An odd moment happened before the lunch break on Tuesday when he jumped off his chair and loudly stated: “I want to make a plea.”

The judge told van Liempt that he would pretend he didn’t hear that since it was an implication of guilt mid-trial. He told van Liempt to think about it over lunch and discuss with the amicus curiae lawyer, Chris Terepocki. After lunch, the judge asked van Liempt if he had anything to say or if the trial should continue.

“We will continue the trial,” van Liempt said.

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Paul J. Henderson
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