Cabri hockey coach Ryan Chamberlin pleads guilty to sexual assault
CBC News | Posted: April 7, 2015 3:36 PM | Last Updated: April 7, 2015
Court heard Chamberlin, 39, had a previous sexual assault conviction
A Cabri, Sask. hockey coach has pleaded guilty to sexual assault.
Ryan Chamberlin, 39, was originally facing 10 sex-related charges, but he pleaded guilty to four of them on Monday in a Swift Current court.
Chamberlin was originally arrested in February after a victim came forward to RCMP alleging an inappropriate interaction with the man.
According to Crown Prosecutor Steve Kritzer, the 14-year-old boy was being abused by Chamberlin at the time he came forward. RCMP added more charges when three more victims came forward in late March. One victim had been abused as far back as 1994.
All of the victims were boys aged 13 or 14 at the time of the abuse, Kritzer said. Two victims met Chamberlin through his work as a coach. He worked with several teams in southern Saskatchewan and RCMP encouraged parents to speak with children who may have had contact with Chamberlin after his first arrest.
The 14-year-old boy and his mom both delivered victim impact statements in court. The mother commented on her son's bravery and heroism for coming forward about his abuse.
Kritzer told CBC News the boy has been in touch with former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy to talk about the assault. Kennedy was a victim of sexual assault himself at the hands of Graham James while he played hockey for the Swift Current Broncos.
The court also heard this was not Chamberlin's first conviction for sexual assault. He served four months in prison in 1998.
Chamberlin will be sentenced on three counts of sexual assault and one lesser charge on May 6. The Crown is asking for five years in prison and a lifetime on the sex offender registry.