WARNING: This text incorporates graphic particulars, and will have an effect on those that have skilled sexual violence or know somebody impacted by it.
A former Edmonton observe coach has been discovered responsible of historic sexual offences in opposition to three teenage boys he mentored and educated within the Nineteen Seventies.
In a call Tuesday, a decide discovered that Thomas Kenneth Porter, often called Ken Porter, sexually touched the teenagers for his personal gratification beneath the guise of athletic massages.
Courtroom of King’s Bench Justice Nicholas Devlin additionally discovered that Porter, now 76, sexually touched two of the youngsters in separate incidents at his condominium.
A type of concerned a time the place he invited boys over for dinner, then confirmed them pornography in what the decide decided was an effort to groom them. Porter then supplied them “rubdowns” — his time period for the track-side massages he gave younger athletes.
The previous coach watched the choice remotely from his lawyer’s workplace in Ottawa. He stays on bail pending his sentence, which will likely be set at a later date.
The complainants, who had been 15 to 17 years previous after they educated with Porter, testified that his massages progressed from rubbing their legs to transferring up their our bodies and touching their buttocks, genitals and anus.
Porter’s conduct “constituted an exploitation or perversion of contact by a trusted adult,” Devlin stated.
“It caused discomfort, confusion and even revulsion among the victims.”
Devlin concluded that Porter is responsible of two counts of indecent assault and three counts of gross indecency — expenses beneath the Legal Code on the time of the allegations, from 1976 to 1980. Devlin discovered Porter not responsible on the 5 different expenses he confronted, together with every of the fees laid in relation to one of many complainants.
Porter initially confronted greater than a dozen expenses associated to 5 males who had been his former trainees. The counts associated to one in all them had been later withdrawn.
Every of the boys’s identities is protected by a publication ban, apart from Chris Dallin, who requested the court docket to carry the ban on his title. He was the primary to report his experiences with Porter to police in 2007.
Nearly 20 years later — and near 50 years after he first began coaching with Porter as a 14-year-old boy — Dallin stated Tuesday that he wished to verify Porter may by no means be in a state of affairs the place he was near boys or younger males once more.
He stated it’s additionally necessary to him to inform his personal story.
“I no longer have any shame about this,” he stated.
“I want people to understand that it’s OK to kind of go through this.”
Inappropriate contact throughout massages
One of many males who testified described a cocktail party he attended with another teenage athletes, whereas Porter was the one grownup. The coach served pecan pie and handed round pornographic magazines he stated he acquired in Europe.
In Devlin’s resolution, he stated Porter acknowledged these occasions, however the former coach stated he now views it as incorrect to indicate the teenagers the pornography.
Devlin discovered Porter responsible of gross indecency and indecent assault for a therapeutic massage that the complainant described occurring after dinner, the place Porter had him change right into a yellow thong, then massaged his legs and buttocks and touched his anus.
Devlin additionally decided that Porter sexually touched one other teenager who testified that at the beginning, he felt excited by Porter’s bodily consideration, as a teen within the technique of discovering his sexuality.
However the man informed the court docket that after one therapeutic massage the place Porter touched his genitals, he felt repulsed, and had a bodily response. Later in life, he struggled with drug and alcohol dependency.
The prison case got here after studies of sexual misconduct prompted Athletics Canada to fee former Ontario ombudsman André Marin in 2019 for an unbiased investigation.
When Marin’s report was completed, Porter was fired as chair of the Ottawa Lions observe and area membership and issued a lifetime ban by Athletics Canada.
Devlin’s resolution says that investigation triggered intensive communication between the complainants within the prison case, who knew one another from their time as younger athletes.
“Astonishingly, Mr. Marin encouraged them to reach out to each other,” Devlin stated.
That, along with different publicity to one another’s tales, led to questions through the trial about how they might have influenced one another’s recollections.
Devlin stated that was a problem that led to the not responsible resolution on all three expenses associated to a 3rd complainant. Whereas he credited that man for being open and sincere in his testimony, Devlin stated he couldn’t ensure the recollections got here from sources “other than true recall,” including as much as cheap doubt.
Coach was ‘infatuated’ with teenage boy, decide finds
The decide additionally acquitted Porter of two expenses from an incident the place Dallin alleged the coach sexually assaulted him in a Saskatoon lodge room.
Dallin testified he was 15 on the time, and amongst a gaggle of athletes travelling with Porter for a observe meet. He stated he was presupposed to room with one other teen, however Porter informed him that he’d be staying with him as a substitute.
Through the night time, Dallin described having a nightmare that Porter was performing oral intercourse on him, then woke as much as discover it was really occurring.
However inconsistencies in a number of the proof introduced through the trial and Dallin’s recollection ended with the decide saying he wasn’t sure sufficient for a conviction.
Chris Dallin informed RCMP in 2007 about historic sexual misconduct in opposition to him by his former observe coach Ken Porter. (Submitted by Chris Dallin)
“Given I am sure Mr. Porter sexually touched [Dallin] for his gratification … I find it likely he did make an unwanted sexual advance. It probably happened much the way [Dallin] described,” Devlin stated.
“I do not disbelieve [Dallin]. But I cannot be sure it happened when, where and how it was described.”
However when it got here to Porter’s clarification of reported sexual contact with Dallin throughout massages, the decide stated the previous coach’s “shifting, self-serving, almost desperate evidence … leaves Mr. Porter bereft of credibility.”
Devlin discovered that the coach was “infatuated” with the teenage Dallin.
“His massages sometimes caused erections and it happened frequently enough he had thought about how to deal with it,” Devlin stated.
“His evidence demonstrates Mr. Porter was not concerned at all with sexually arousing the teenage boys he was laying hands on.”
Dallin stated he was disenchanted Porter was discovered not responsible within the lodge incident. However he’s happy how everybody concerned within the case took it significantly.
“I’ve been through counselling and I’ve kind of come out the other end, and I’m feeling pretty good about my life right now,” he stated in an interview.
“But boy, there was sure a lot of time as a young man that I was very, very mixed up and had a lot of problems associated with what happened to me as a result of that trauma.”
Dallin stated he desires others to realize it’s OK to speak about experiences like his, despite the fact that they may really feel embarrassed or unsure.
“Kids, young people need a few people out there who show the way, say, ‘This guy’s OK, and he went through something traumatic as well, and he seems perfectly willing to talk about it, even though it’s difficult.”
In the event you’re in speedy hazard or worry on your security or that of others round you, please name 911. For help in your space, you may search for disaster traces and native providers by way of the Ending Sexual Violence Affiliation of Canada database.
