Former youth hockey coach charged with child pornography

A former youth hockey coach at the Burnaby Winter Club is facing multiple charges related to child pornography.

Club president Robert Ward says Port Moody police contacted the club on Thursday afternoon to notify them the former coach had been arrested and charged.

"Most of us are parents and volunteers at the club," he said. "Getting a call and a letter to let us know that this has occurred or something has occurred is kind of a terrible thing for our parents."

The suspect has since been releasedwith conditions including not contacting anyone from the club and staying off the club premises.

In an email to CBC News, a spokesperson for the Port Moody Police Department says they are unable to provide details because of a publication ban, but that it is "a very complex investigation that is active and ongoing."

In an email, the B.C. Prosecution Service confirmed the four chargesinclude distribution of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and luring.

All of the offences are alleged to have happened in Port Moody between January and June 2019.

The suspect was charged on Sept. 4 and is expected to make his next appearance in court on Oct. 28, 2019.

Ward says the suspect worked as a head coach for a youth team on a one-year contract from August 2018 to March 2019. He also worked as an assistant coach at the club in 2013.

Ward says the clubworked with police to email a statement about the charges to parents on Friday and invite them to an information session on Sunday, which was also attended by police.

"It's a very difficult time, a stressful time for our membership group," said Ward. "They had a lot of questions."

Ward saysthe former coach went through a hiring vetting process which included a criminal background check, and no red flags were ever raised during his time working at the club.

He added that the club has procedures in place that would make it difficult for the coach to have been in contact with youth without any other adults present. He says that as of now there is no indication that any of the charges involved youth associated with the club or that they occurred on the club's premises.