Hankey had a lengthy career in academia, holding the title of professor emeritus in the Classics department at Dalhousie University until charged with historic sexual assault in February 2021.
In 1981 he completed his doctoral studies in theology at the University of Oxford, St. Peter's College, with his thesis "The Structure of the first forty-five Questions of St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae" and was later ordained a priest in the Anglican Church of Canada.
For many years, until being suspended from public ministry and then becoming a Roman Catholic, Hankey was a staunch opponent against reforms in the Anglican Church.
Following his retirement, Hankey was appointed Professor Emeritus in Classics at Dalhousie University and taught one evening seminar each academic term, prior to February 2021 when he agreed to step down from the course in light of criminal accusations.
The accusation was made only before the Anglican Diocese and the college; it was not a criminal complaint, and did not involve police or the provincial courts.
The ecclesiastical court, appointed by Bishop Arthur Peters and made up of two priests and a layman, convened in August 1991, and finding Harris' claims credible convicted Hankey on charges of sexual immorality.
Reports at the time allege that a page in the security log had been removed, and there was widespread feeling that university president John Godfrey, a close friend of Hankey's, had silently swept the matter under the carpet.
In response to a report made to Halifax Regional Police in September 2020, on February 1 the following year Hankey was charged with sexual assault related to an alleged incident with a male student in 1988.
The second part of the review is to make recommendations on the steps King's might take to ensure a safe environment for the community, in accordance with its Sexual Violence Awareness and Response Policy.