A former Mountie who spent decades coaching minor league sports has been charged in connection with the sexual assault of eight minors.
The offences happened between 1976 and 1981, while 58-year-old Alan John Davidson coached minor baseball and hockey in B.C.'s Thompson-Okanagan region.
The victims, all male, are all from B.C. and the majority were coached by Davidson.
Davidson served as an RCMP officer in detachments in Saskatchewan and Lloydminster, Alberta from 1982 until his retirement in 1996. The alleged incidents happened in Clearwater, B.C., before Davidson joined the Mounties.
“He was active in the communities that he served in and would have been exposed to a number of children, minors, teenage athletes,” said B.C. RCMP Supt. Brendan Fitzpatrick, adding that Davidson continued to coach in various communities across Western Canada until 2008.
Fitzpatrick says there is no evidence to suggest any assaults happened while Davidson was a member of the RCMP.
A multi-province investigation was launched in 2012 after the first alleged victim came forward to say he was sexually assaulted by his hockey coach in the early 1980s in Clearwater, B.C. The man said it was possible other members of his team were also assaulted.
A second alleged victim came forward after police interviewed potential witnesses and victims.
"I would also like to commend those individuals who came forward after all these years, considering the traumatic nature of the allegations. A great deal of work has been done to date, however our investigation is ongoing and we respect that there could be other individuals out there with information connected to our investigation," said Fitzpatrick.
Davidson was arrested without incident in Calgary Thursday. Davidson is currently employed with the Alberta’s sheriff’s service.
He is charged with eight counts of indecent assault and is scheduled to make his next court appearance in April in Kamloops.
Police are encouraging anyone with information about the case to call its dedicated tip line at 1-877-687-3377.
Speaking with reporters Friday afternoon, former NHL hockey player Sheldon Kennedy also urged other potential victims to call the RCMP’s dedicated tip line.
“We know a lot of people suffer in silence,” Kennedy said, adding coming forward is only the first step in a journey toward recovery.
“I think one of the biggest things that people need to know is you’re not alone and your voice will be heard,” he said.
Kennedy has been a high-profile advocate for victims of sexual abuse after going public years ago with his own story about childhood abuse at the hands of his former coach, Graham James.
RCMP provided the following list of where Davidson lived and worked over the past four decades:
- 1970's to 1981 – Clearwater, BC
- August 1981 – February 1982 – Regina, Saskatchewan
- February 1982 – December 1983 – Coronach, Saskatchewan
- December 1983 – April 1986 – Lloydminster, Alberta
- April 1986 – August 1993 – Yorkton, Saskatchewan
- August 1993 – 1996 – North Battleford, Saskatchewan
- August 1996 onwards – Alberta (currently resides in Calgary)
