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A Vancouver Island teacher falsely accused of sexual assault and torture by a Grade 9 student — accusations that were later shown to be ripped off from TV episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — is seeking compensation for more than two years of “unimaginable hardship.”

In an arbitration hearing last year, the student described a series of sadistic rapes that left her beaten and bloody, as well as torture, including waterboarding and being buried alive.

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The claims were eventually revealed as fiction — with almost every act the girl described featuring in an episode of the police drama.

According to court documents, the girl was a “big fan” of the show and admitted to watching each episode at least three times.

In a decision dated July 10, 2014, labour arbitrator Joan McEwen found in favour of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), which represented the teacher when he filed a grievance to get his job back, saying it was clear to “everyone” that the student could not be believed. The teacher was to be “made whole as soon as possible.”

In hearings continuing next week in a Nanaimo hotel room, the BCTF will pursue a claim for damages relating to the teacher’s loss of reputation.