Ex-ski coach Bertrand Charest, jailed for sex crimes, gets parole
CBC News | Posted: March 31, 2020 4:56 PM | Last Updated: March 31, 2020
Parole Board of Canada determined disgraced former national ski coach at low risk of reoffending
Bertrand Charest, a former national ski coach who was convicted of a long list of sex-related crimes involving nine women, has been granted a conditional release after serving a third of his sentence.
In June 2017, Charest was found guilty of 37 charges for the sexual assault and sexual exploitation of young female athletes — all between the ages of 12 and 19 — who he coached in the 1990s.
He was initially sentenced to a 12-year prison term, but he appealed.
Last year, the Quebec Court of Appeal dropped 21 of the 37 counts, reducing Charest's sentence by 21 months. That left him facing four years and nine months in prison, taking into account time already served.
The Parole Board of Canada determined there is a low risk Charest will reoffend.
Radio-Canada's Geneviève Garon has reported that the disgraced ex-ski coach hopes to return to work as an engineer.