People want to know more about him after he was convicted of sexual assault and gross obscenity on Wednesday. Richard Gauthier was a well-known figure in Canada’s pairs skating world. He coached several excellent skaters to national and international success.
He began teaching in the 1970s and quickly rose to prominence as a sports authority. Throughout his career, he worked with a number of outstanding skaters, including Olympic and world winners.
Richard Gauthier coached who? Investigated Profession
Gauthier has been instructing world-class pairs skaters for nearly three decades.
Gauthier partnered with Edmonton skaters Jamie Salé and David Pelletier
to win gold at the 2001 ISU World Championships and the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Coach Richard Gauthier consoles Canadian Jamie Sale
Gauthier, from Saint Etienne-de-Bolton, Quebec, has been inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame as a Coach
after working as one of the world’s most respected pair coaches for over three decades.
In 1998, Gauthier gathered the combination of Jamie Salé and David Pelletier,
who went on to win gold at the 2001 ISU World Championships and the 2002 Winter Olympics.
The two-time defending world pair champions,
Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford were led by Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte.
Gauthier also teaches a number of world-ranked pair couples at his world-renowned
pair skating school in Saint-Leonard, Que., including the 2016 U.S. pair skating champions.
At the 2015 Skate Canada International, bronze medalists Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran
competed alongside bronze medalists Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro.
Gauthier trained two-time defending world pair champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, according to Skate Canada.
“At his world-renowned pair skating school in Saint-Leonard, Que., Gauthier also trains several world-ranked pair teams, including 2016 U.S.
bronze medalists Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran and 2015 Skate Canada International bronze medalists Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro,” a press release stated.
Was the Canadian Pairs Skating Coach Arrested and Charged With Sex Assault?
On Wednesday, a well-known ex-coach in Canadian pairs skating was found guilty of sexual assault and gross obscenity.
Richard Gauthier was charged with three charges stemming from offenses committed in the 1980s involving a teenage male skater he mentored.
Gauthier, 61, was convicted guilty of two offenses by Quebec court Judge Josee Belanger in Montreal.
On a third count of indecent assault on the victim, whose identity is protected
by a publication restriction, he was found not guilty.
“The evidence indicates beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused’s
conduct caused severe injury to the plaintiff,” the court wrote in a 49-page decision.
The victim was 14 at the time of the events, while Gauthier was in his twenties.
Gauthier was his mentor for over six years, until the victim turned 18.
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Gauthier was accused of naked bathing,
Naked showering, and naked spooning with the victim in a bed in the accused’s house.
“These are sexual gestures made by the accused toward the athlete he was training,
whom the latter liked and admired,” concluded Belanger.
“As the complainant testified, the accused’s behavior caused him significant psychological trauma.” This prejudice is pervasive.”
The judge did not believe Gauthier’s version of events, who was charged in 2020.
“Not only is the accused untrustworthy, but his testimony is untrustworthy as well.”
It contains some revisions, flagrant discrepancies, and changes during cross-examination questioning,” the court ruled.
Prosecutor Amelie Rivard told reporters that she hoped the verdict would show survivors that criminal actions do not fade with time.
She expressed hope that the ruling will encourage survivors of sexual assault to come forward. The case will be heard in court again next month.
