Former Winnipeg high school football coach accused of sex assaults faces more charges

A Winnipeg high school football coach and teacher is facing more sexual assault charges, after another former student has come forward with allegations. Alex Karpa reports.

By The Canadian Press

Police have laid more charges against a former Winnipeg high school football coach accused of sexually assaulting students.

Kelsey Albert McKay, who is 52, was charged in the spring with 22 offences against eight former students.

Police say a ninth former student has come forward, and McKay has been charged with two more counts — sexual assault and luring a child.

Police say the student was a teen when the alleged crimes happened in the 2000s.

“On Sept. 7, McKay was charged with two new offences, sexual assault and luring a child under 18,” said Cst. Dani McKinnon, a public information officer with the Winnipeg Police Service. “He was released by way of crown authorization with conditions.”

McKay was a coach and physical education teacher at both Churchill High School and Vincent Massey Collegiate for around two decades. McKay is now facing 24 total charges.

“The survivors reported similar accounts of exploitive relationships forged by the coach, leading to sexual offences at his residence,” said McKinnon.

None of the charges have been proven in court.


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The Manitoba government has applied to the courts to seize McKay’s house and use the proceeds to fund to crime-prevention programs.

Winnipeg police are now creating presentations for parents, athletes, and sports organizations to educate and prevent sexual abuse in sports.

“We want to open ourselves up to presentations in a live format, where we can speak to either of these three groups, and really get a chance to not only share our material verbally through other forms of media or PowerPoints, but to get into frank discussions with these students and coaches and parents at different times to ensure they know what to watch out for,” said Insp. George Labossiere.

“We have had some consultations with other groups. Certainly, we have reached out to Sport Manitoba, but we are also looking to partner with other groups as well to ensure we have the best package out there for the people who are looking to target.”

Police say sexual exploitation and abuse usually occur through a grooming process, where a coach will gain the trust of both the athlete and their family.

McKinnon says it’s important to get everyone on board and educated to prevent further harm in the future.

“The coaches all know the rules,” she said. “They’ve all taken the certifications and they know what is acceptable and not acceptable, so we are not blaming anyone in particular, but if you do start to see those signs, you should definitely follow up on them.”

Police did not provide specific details of the McKay case and did not confirm whether there are more than nine victims who have come forward with allegations.

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