A trainer and martial arts referee who allegedly killed at least two minors has just been arrested by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) in connection with various sexual crimes in Lanaudière. The authorities believe that Réal Chayer, 58, could have made more victims.
It was on May 17 that the 50-year-old was first arrested by investigators from the MRC de Montcalm station, “under an arrest warrant for sexual assault, sexual contact and incitement to contact”. explains the SQ in a brief press release.
Originally from Saint-Lin – Laurentides, in Lanaudière, Mr. Chayer appeared in the hours that followed for these same reasons before a judge in Joliette. In all, four charges are currently pending against him. The man was finally “released under several conditions”, pending further legal proceedings, the authorities confirmed.
The facts alleged against Réal Chayer allegedly took place in Saint-Lin – Laurentides in 2020 and 2022, when the accused “had access to his victims in a context of a situation of authority related to his involvement in sport, among other things, as coach “.
According to our information, the main person concerned was a martial arts coach in his native region, but he was also a referee in the same discipline, which led him to travel across Quebec for various competitions.
He was also chief instructor of the Drakshido Martial Arts Academy, located in Repentigny, according to what was able to consult The Press on line. Chayer notably appeared in an interview given to the program “Canadian Fighter” five years ago, an excerpt from which was broadcast on YouTube.
Two complaints, but…
To date, two young teenagers have formally filed a complaint against the individual, said a police source. That said, as Réal Chayer was in contact with several young athletes, the police believe that he could have had several other victims.
The police are also concerned that Mr. Chayer already has a history of a sexual nature dating from the past. The plumitif indeed shows that the 58-year-old man had also been accused of various sexual crimes, including incitement to contact, in 1996 and 2016, respectively in the districts of Saint-Jérôme and Joliette.
Given the seriousness of the case, a “serial crime investigation management structure (GECS)”, coordinated by the Sûreté du Québec, was deployed in this case.
It is a unified command structure “in which Quebec police services work in partnership to quickly identify crimes committed by predators and to arrest them”, recall the authorities. “This provincial coordination therefore makes it possible to pool police resources and aims to better protect victims,” it adds.
Anyone who has relevant information on Réal Chayer or on the crimes he may have committed is invited to contact the Criminal Information Center of the Sûreté du Québec, by dialing 1 800 659-4264. You can be assured of confidential treatment of the information.