Sexual assault victim of former WHL coach speaks out on parole process

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A 17-year-old hockey player once had dreams of playing for the Regina Pats. So he got in his car and made a trip to the Queen City, more than 36 years ago.

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But instead of being given the opportunity he sought by attending the WHL team’s 1988 hockey school, he was assaulted — sexually and physically — at the hands of a man who was then an assistant coach, Bernie Lynch.

The former player cannot be named due to a court-ordered publication ban standard in sexual assault cases.

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He has been able to make sense of some things since he came forward more than three years ago. For instance, he now understands why, after the assaults, he could never finish a hockey season without wanting to return home.

“I wanted to be in my safe place,” he said during a recent interview, now able to offer grace to his younger self.

But what doesn’t make sense to him is how, after all the concerns identified by the Parole Board of Canada (PBC), Lynch has been granted day parole yet again after having his parole suspended.

“In a nutshell, I’ve just lost all my faith in the parole process,” he said.

Lynch was convicted of the 1988 crimes in December of 2023.

The former hockey coach received a three-year prison sentence for the historic offences. He was granted day parole in August despite maintaining his innocence.

Lynch abandoned an appeal of his conviction after he was released. Information about the location where he was released is not included in redacted parole documents. He spent about five weeks in the unnamed community before his parole was suspended.

Lynch’s alleged behaviour while living at a halfway house was “inappropriate,” according to a decision by the Parole Board of Canada, dated Dec. 4.

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In short, the PBC decision references concerns raised about alleged behaviour ranging from manipulation and grooming to anger and intimidation. It was reported that other offenders felt Lynch was coming on to them and “always talking about male genitalia.”

“You allegedly would often ask them how often they masturbate,” the PBC decision reads. “They said you would sit on their beds, uninvited, and actively move closer and closer to them each time.”

The alleged conduct sounds sadly familiar to the man who Lynch assaulted.

The former player says he was confused about how Lynch was released the first time, in August, when the convicted man still maintained his innocence. The Dec. 4 PBC decision states that, this time around, Lynch admitted he’d committed the 1988 crimes. But he denied being inappropriate with anyone at the halfway house while on parole and defended his actions, offering explanations for what had transpired.

“You said you think you were being set up because you are a sex offender,” the decision states, referring to Lynch.

It further notes that although Lynch did not return to his “offence cycle,” he was “moving in that direction whether intentionally or not.”

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The decision to again grant him day parole doesn’t make sense to the man assaulted by the former coach, and he questions the PBC’s decision.

“Are these not red flags to you?” he wondered.

The PBC issued a reprimand to Lynch, stating his behaviour was unacceptable and noting that “any further inappropriate behaviour that increases your risk will not be taken lightly and could have more dire consequences.”

Nonetheless, the PBC decided that cancelling his parole suspension — and thereby allowing him back out on day parole — “will not pose an undue risk to society.”

The man he assaulted said he’s trying to better himself by continually attending counselling and noted that he even recommended to the parole board that Lynch do some programming before he was released.

“Sex offender programming will be of no benefit given your very low risk and lack of accountability and motivation,” the PBC decision reads, going on to note that Lynch must follow a treatment plan or program arranged by his parole supervisor in the “area of emotions management and attitude.”

Regarding Lynch’s most recent appearance before the PBC, he said: “I debated whether or not even to write anything or to speak at the hearing.”

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When he learned the former coach was again granted day parole, the man said he was depressed for a few days. He later found the decision “disheartening, disturbing and extremely disappointing.”

But his frustration over the way the PBC has dealt with Lynch does not mean he regrets coming forward about what happened.

“This will not define me,” he said, adding that he will not exhaust his energy on things he cannot control.

This November, the man received a copy of his own police file. Looking through it was an emotional experience.

Among other things, it includes accounts of himself as a younger man. He remembers the fear he had about what would happen to his hockey career if he made a formal complaint to police about what Lynch had done.

“Reading back in the file, I have a lot of, I guess, guilt in a way, that I didn’t take that step,” he said. “But I know why I didn’t.”

The former player thinks of others who may have had experiences like his, and he speaks now with clarity from going through the process.

“I just really would encourage others to come forward because it has done a lot for me in my life,” said the man, who noted that the hockey world has been tremendously supportive and he’s made some friends along the way.

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“I wish I would have known that, back all those years. That would’ve given me more courage to come forward.”

While Lynch’s dealings with the parole board have caused him stress, he refers to them as “bumps in the road” of a life otherwise filled with a lot of positivity.

The man believes others who have been affected by crimes like the one committed against him can also find a positive way forward.

“I just want to get the word out there and help them,” he said.

bharder@postmedia.com

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