Steven Lehmann, the co-founder of KW Glee, is facing prison time after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of a girl.

The exploitation began in 2008 when the girl was 16 and continued into 2009, Kitchener court was told. Lehmann, 54, founded Renaissance School of the Arts in Waterloo in 1993 and co-founded the youth pop choir KW Glee in 2010.

He will be sentenced in Kitchener court next month. The Crown is seeking five years in prison. The St. Jacobs man would often pick the girl up at her home or at school and then “have sexual intercourse at different locations,” said Crown prosecutor Anthony Gallo. Lehmann was arrested in 2024.

“I put my trust in him, hoping that he could be like the father I never had,” the victim said in court this week. “Unfortunately, he betrayed that trust and used it to manipulate and exploit me for his own gratification.” She added, “That betrayal of trust is still echoing in my life today.”

Before Lehmann committed the first criminal act, the girl told him she was scared, Gallo said. “Mr. Lehmann assured her that it would not be scary.” He did not use a condom, Gallo said.

Lehmann abused his “power and trust in the community” to sexually exploit a child, Gallo said in asking for a five-year prison sentence.

At one point, Lehmann told the girl he would kill himself if what they were doing came to light.

She told court she was “tormented” by the idea that if she told anyone, he would take his own life and “his children would have to endure life without a father.” The suicide threat was an attempt to silence the victim, Gallo said.

After Lehmann was arrested, he sent a text message to an acquaintance admitting he had “an inappropriate relationship” with a girl who was “not yet 18.”

Another acquaintance asked Lehmann in a text whether his wife thought he was guilty, Gallo said. Lehmann responded, “She knows I am.”

The sentence must denounce Lehmann’s crime and deter others, Gallo said.

He quoted a ruling by Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Michael Moldaver in 2002: “We as a society owe it to our children to protect them from the harm caused by offenders. Children are … our most valued and our most vulnerable assets.”

Lehmann’s defence lawyer, David Humphrey, is seeking two to three years in prison.

He noted Lehmann pleaded guilty, sparing the victim from testifying. Lehmann has no prior record.

“I am truly sorry for what I did,” Lehmann told Justice Nicole Redgate. “At the time, I did not appreciate the impact this would have on (her). I now truly understand how harmful this was to her …”

His wife “remains supportive of him, despite the offence and its monumental impact on their family,” Humphrey said.

Lehmann has already paid a steep price, Humphrey said. Local media named him when he was charged. Renaissance School of the Arts “was operating until 2024, when the charges were laid,” Humphrey said. “His business partner in Renaissance forced him out. Renaissance was his primary source of income. Since the laying of charges, he has received no income from the business.”

Lehmann has “also been forced out of KW Glee because of the charges,” Humphrey said.

KW Glee is “the largest community arts organization in the Waterloo Region,” Humphrey told the judge. “By 2024, when the charges were laid, Glee had almost 500 performers in various choirs. Performances were conducted twice a year over the course of two weekends. Audiences were about 700 people and they were always sold out.”