A man from the Lanaudière region whom police believe responsible for several dozen sexual offenses appeared in the Criminal Chamber of the Joliette courthouse on Monday.
Réal Chayer, a 59-year-old man from Saint-Lin-Laurentides, will remain in detention pending the continuation of the legal proceedings initiated against him.
It was police officers from the Major Crimes Investigation Division of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) who arrested Réal Chayer on Monday, pursuant to an arrest warrant for several sexual offenses. He appeared in court to face 61 new charges for events that allegedly took place between July 2001 and December 2022.
Réal Chayer was arrested for the first time on May 17 under an arrest warrant for sexual assault, sexual contact and incitement to contact. He was released on several conditions.
The SQ reports that its investigation tends to demonstrate that the suspect had access to his victims in a context of authority related to his involvement in sport, among others as a coach.
Karate Quebec, which oversees the sport in the province, said in a statement Tuesday that the accused was not affiliated with the organization. The latter offers its 125 affiliated clubs a certification program for dojo instructors and development seminars for the National Coaching Certification Program.
“We strongly condemn any form of inappropriate behavior and are determined to act with transparency and responsibility,” said Karate Quebec’s director of operations, Karine Fournier.
In its press release, the federation invites any person who is a victim of harassment, abuse or aggression while practicing their sport to report it through the Sport’Aide “I file a complaint” platform.
Since several victims were identified by the investigation, the management structure for serial crime investigations (GECS), coordinated by the Sûreté du Québec, was deployed. This structure allows Quebec police services to work in partnership to quickly identify crimes committed by alleged predators and arrest them.