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Quebec Court of Appeal overturns sexual assault verdict for Montreal skating coach
Judge Patrick Healy said contradictions in the complainant’s testimony left the evidence short of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
- On Friday, the Quebec Court of Appeal overturned the guilty verdict against Richard Gauthier, a former Canadian pairs skating coach, ruling the prosecution failed to meet the burden of proof for sexual assault.
- In 2023, Gauthier was initially sentenced to 12 months in jail for sexual assault involving a young athlete in the 1980s, in a trial occurring nearly 40 years after the alleged events.
- Inconsistencies in the complainant's testimony led Appeal Judge Patrick Healy to conclude the evidence failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt, contradicting the original ruling by Judge Josée Bélanger.
- The coach had been inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame in 2015 after training world-class pairs skaters for more than three decades, but was expelled following the 2023 conviction.
- Gauthier was also acquitted of a third count of indecent assault, resolving legal challenges his lawyers raised arguing the original verdict violated rules against multiple convictions for one incident.
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33 Articles
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Richard Gauthier was convicted of assaulting a young athlete in the 1980s and sentenced to 12 months in prison in 2023.
·Montreal, Canada
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The Toronto Star+28 Reposted by 28 other sources
Quebec Court of Appeal overturns sexual assault verdict for Montreal skating coach
MONTREAL - Quebec’s Court of Appeal overturned a guilty verdict against a renowned skating coach accused of sexual assault and gross indecency.
·Toronto, Canada
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An ex-star figure skating coach who had been convicted of sexual abuse of a teenager was acquitted on appeal.
·Montreal, Canada
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A former star figure skating coach convicted in 2023 of sexually assaulting a minor athlete in the 1980s has finally been acquitted. The trial judge delivered an “unreasonable” verdict, the Court of Appeal ruled on Friday.
·Montreal, Canada
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Total News Sources33
Leaning Left26Leaning Right0Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution87% Left
Bias Distribution
- 87% of the sources lean Left
87% Left
L 87%
13%
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