(Montreal) A former star figure skating coach, still praised today by his peers, was sentenced Monday to a year in prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old athlete in the 1980s. The victim calls on young athletes to denounce and deplores the fact that sports organizations always minimize such crimes.
“We need official denunciations, otherwise, things will never change. Organizations and associations are not capable of managing this. Everyone knows each other, everyone helps each other. For coaches to come and say, even today: ‘we need him’, that doesn’t make sense,” the victim, whose identity is protected, told the media.
Richard Gauthier was a figure skating legend in Canada. His long coaching career even earned him a place in the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame (since withdrawn). However, the 61-year-old man hid a dark secret: he sexually assaulted a 14-15 year old teenager in 1984.
Despite everything, around twenty people from the figure skating community, including Olympic champions, praised the coach during the procedures. Even the current vice-president of the International Skating Union, Benoît Lavoie, took the floor to praise Richard Gauthier during observations on the sentence. No witness had changed their opinion of the accused, despite the guilty verdict.
These testimonies “well illustrate the extent to which sexual violence against children can be invisible in the eyes of society,” analyzes judge Josée Bélanger, recalling the extent to which child victims of sexual violence suffer significant long-term aftereffects.
“He was able to enjoy this beautiful life, I wasn’t,” said Clément*, in the press scrum. The man, now in his fifties, is scandalized that figures from the skating world that he has worked with for years can continue to “minimize” the crimes of Richard Gauthier.
“It proves the difficulty of denouncing. But I encourage everyone to do it. The process is a savior,” confided Clément, who said he was “really happy” with the legal process. “It’s the best decision I’ve ever made,” he says.
“He asked me to wash him”
In 1984, Richard Gauthier was already a renowned young coach. His “favorite” athlete was Clément*, a very talented young skater from his club. “Richard, I admired him, loved him. I trusted him,” Clément confided in a letter presented in court.
One day, Richard Gauthier invites his “favorite” athlete to his home. After a swim in the building’s swimming pool, Richard Gauthier starts a “sauna bath” in his small bathroom. The trainer and the victim end up washing “each other” in the shower.
“He asked me to wash it. He washed my back, my legs and went through my buttocks,” Clément testified.
After the shower, Richard Gauthier lay down naked in the “spooning” position next to the young athlete, also naked. The attacker’s penis was pressed against the teenager. Then, Gauthier sat on the victim and massaged his legs while brushing his testicles. A traumatic experience for the victim.
“ [Richard Gauthier] took advantage of this proximity to abuse his student,” underlined Judge Josée Bélanger. The young coach was in a position of authority and power vis-à-vis the victim, the judge recalled.
Crown prosecutor Me Christine Desjarlais demanded 18 months in prison, while the defense, represented by Me Giuseppe Battista and Me Laurence St-Jean Juillet, asked for prison on weekends or at home.
Judge Bélanger rejected the sentences suggested by the defense due to the importance of deterring and denouncing sexual crimes against children. Such sentences would send an “inappropriate” message to society and “trivialize” the seriousness of the crimes.
Richard Gauthier will be subject to two years of probation. However, he will not have to register on the Sex Offenders Register, the judge determined.
The guilty verdict was appealed.
*Fictitious first name