A former figure skating coach has been convicted of sex offences against two teenage girls.
Thirty-year-old Matthew Power stared straight and steady at Justice Valerie Marshall until she uttered the word guilty.
His head then slumped and his gaze shifted to the floor as the judge proceeded to convict him on eight of the 10 charges he was facing, including sexual assault, child luring, sexual interference and making pornography available to minors.
Originally from Marystown, Power was in his mid-20s while his victims were between 13 and 16 when the offences occurred between 2016 and 2020. He was coaching the girls in the C.B.S. area at the time.
The grooming-like activity began on the Snapchat platform and eventually progressed to in-person sex acts in an arena storage room, at Power’s house and in his car.
BREAKING || Former figure skating coach Matthew Power guilty on eight of 10 sex offences against two female teenage skaters. pic.twitter.com/srEhjsvLHQ
— VOCM News (@VOCMNEWS) November 27, 2024
He denied all the charges, but admitted messaging and being alone with the girls, saying in hindsight it was stupid but he just wanted to be a cool coach.
Justice Marshall also dismissed a Jordan application to have the charges thrown out due to the length of time it’s taken to conclude the trial.
Her reasons for that, as well as the verdict, have not yet been distributed to media.
Power was suspended by Skate Canada when the charges were first laid in 2021, and had been free on conditions — until today, when he was taken into custody for the first time.
The sentencing phase is set for February 24.
