Gymnastics coach who worked in Ottawa, Kingston charged with sexual assault | CBC News

WARNING: This article contains details of abuse.

A gymnastics coach who has worked at clubs in Ottawa and Kingston has been charged with numerous counts of sexual assault and other sexual offences involving seven young girls, Ottawa police said.

Ben Cooper, 27, was charged for sexual offences that occurred between 2014 and 2022 involving girls between the ages of 14 and 17 in the Ottawa and Kingston area, police said Wednesday.

From 2014 to 2021, Cooper was employed by gyms in Ottawa and Kingston, police said. The sexual offences allegedly continued into 2022 and took place during his coaching duties and after hours.

Cooper was charged with the following offences:

• Six counts of sexual assault.
• Two counts of sexual interference with a person under 16 years of age.
• Three counts of invitation to sexual touching under the age of 16 years of age.
• Three counts of unlawful possession of child pornography.
• Five counts of sexual exploitation.
• One count of harassment by repeated communication with a person.

The Ottawa police investigation into Cooper began in April 2022 and culminated in an arrest Wednesday morning with assistance from Toronto police.

A 2018 investigation into Gymnastics Canada found a “pattern of inaction” by leadership in response to misconduct allegations. The results of that investigation were kept confidential by the national sport organization.

Recently hundreds of athletes signed an open letter calling for an independent third-party investigation into the “toxic culture” of Canadian gymnastics.

Gymnastics Ontario said in an email to its member clubs Wednesday that it had opened its own investigation into Cooper in April 2022 after receiving information about his conduct. 

The sport body said it placed Cooper under “immediate interim suspension” from all membership activities while police investigated.

“Gymnastics Ontario has a zero-tolerance with respect to the harm of any participant in our Federation,” Gymnastics Ontario said in the email.

Police said they’re concerned more of Cooper’s victims may still be unidentified and are asking any other victims to contact their local police service with information.