A figure skating coach accused of sexual assault knew the “high regard” his young students had for him, and took advantage of that to abuse two of them, the prosecution argued yesterday.
Matthew Power was in his mid-20s when it’s alleged his relationship with two teenage girls developed inappropriately beyond the sport.
The skaters were between 13 and 16 when they began messaging with him on Snapchat around 2016.
That’s not in dispute.
What is, involves the exchange of sexually explicit photos and comments, which the Crown says Power initiated, but the defence insists can’t be proven.
Much of that has to do with Snapchat itself, which deletes content after it’s opened—leaving no record of it—unless someone were to take pictures of such content with another device.
The Crown says that’s what one of the girls did, saving the lewd sexual comments and naked photos, said to be from her coach, on a newer phone.
The defence has challenged the authenticity of that content, with police admitting the original source of the photos was never determined.
Then there’s the graphic accounts of making out in an arena storage room, at Power’s house and several times in the backseat of his car. While the defence has cited inconsistencies with the dates, the Crown says it’s the clear and concise account of the incidents that matters most.
As for Power, he regrets engaging on Snapchat, but denies crossing any lines with the girls.
Justice Valerie Marshall is scheduled to deliver her verdict on November 29. But that could be upended pending the outcome of a so-called Jordan application from the defence, which will argue it took too long for the case to proceed and conclude.