The wife of a Canadian teacher detained in Indonesia over allegations of sexual assault involving students is pleading for her husband’s release and says the ordeal is “a horrific nightmare.”

Neil Bantleman, 45, taught at Webber Academy in Calgary for a number of years and has been working at the Jakarata International School for the past six years.

Bantleman’s brother Guy says he works at the school as a learning coordinator, working with teachers and administrators to develop and implement the curriculum.

According to a report in the Jakarta Post, Bantleman had initially gone to police to be questioned as a witness in the investigation into allegations that three kindergarten students were assaulted at the school.

After nine hours, he and teaching assistant Ferdinand Tjiong were detained and Bantleman has been held in the capital of Jakarta without charge for the past week.

"This investigation has been going on for several months now and Neil was named as a witness along with a group of about 20 other teachers and support staff throught the process and they had been asked to come on for questioning and that ended up being about nine hours long on the Monday," said Guy Bantleman.

Bantleman’s wife, Tracy, who teaches at the school, said last week that her husband is “innocent” and told The Canadian Press on Monday that the family has faith in the Indonesian legal system, but is hoping Canadian consular officials will step up efforts to secure his release.

Guy Bantleman said Canadian consular officials in Indonesia have been working with his brother and that the family appreciates their efforts. However, the family would like Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird to put more pressure on police to move Neil’s case forward so he can clear his name.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs would not name Bantleman but said in a statement provided to CTV News on Monday afternoon that...

“Canadian consular officials are providing assistance to a Canadian citizen who has been detained in Indonesia. Consular officials are engaged with local authorities to gather additional information,” the statement read.

“To protect the private and personal information of the individual concerned, further details on this case cannot be released.”

Officials with Webber Academy in Calgary say Bantleman was a well-loved, soft spoken and hardworking teacher who had the respect of fellow staff members.

“A number of former students, anyone that knows his character can say that they know he’s a good person and doesn’t have an ounce of evil in him. This is absolutely, as far as we know, a botched investigation with a lack of substance,” said Jaime Webber.

A Facebook campaign has been started to free Neil Bantleman and Ferdi Tjiong, click HERE for more information.

Under Indonesian law, Bantleman can be held for 20 days without charge and for another 20 days without a judicial review.

(With files from ctvnews.ca)