Content warning: The following story deals with sexual assault and may be distressing for some readers. If you or someone you know is in need of support, you can find province-specific centres, crisis lines, and services here.
Charges have been laid in connection with multiple sexual assault complaints made against a volleyball coach, the North Vancouver RCMP says.
Mounties say they first received reports of the alleged assaults on Dec. 22, 2024.
“Police launched an extensive investigation and spoke to multiple witnesses and victims,” said Cpl. Mansoor Sahak.
“A report to the B.C. Prosecution Service was prepared and submitted.”
On Thursday, the coach — a resident of North Vancouver — was formally charged with ten counts, including three counts of sexual interference of a person under the age of 16, two counts of touching a young person for sexual purpose, and five counts of sexual assault, Sahak says.
Police say the charges relate to five victims in total: four girls under the age of 18 and one woman. The incidents are alleged to have taken place over several years, between January 2016 and December 2024.
Sahak says there could be more victims, he says.
“We urge them to come forward. It’s a brave thing to do that, to come forward,” he said.
“But what I can tell you that from a police perspective, what the police will do and what the RCMP will do for you, is that we will listen. We will take a statement from you, and we’ll do everything we can within our powers to support you. And that is our message to the victims out there. If there are any out there, we want you to come forward.”
The North Vancouver RCMP’s Victim Services Unit can be reached 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 604-969-7540.
The team is a private volleyball club and not part of a school, Sahak says.