Vancouver Whitecaps: Former coach to apologize
A former coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps and Canadian nationwide youth soccer groups is predicted to make a public apology in the present day in court docket for intercourse crimes.
Bob Birarda, 55, pleaded responsible in February to a few counts of sexual assault and one rely of sexual touching for offences involving 4 totally different individuals between 1988 and 2008.
Birarda’s lawyer Invoice Sensible advised a sentencing listening to at a North Vancouver provincial court docket that the previous coach will make an announcement in court docket in the present day.
Sensible is arguing Birarda ought to face a complete one-year sentence for the offences, consisting of eight months in jail and a four-month conditional sentence order.
The Crown has advisable a jail sentence of two years much less a day, a cumulative sentence for the offences, plus three years’ probation.
Every of the instances concerned Birarda’s interactions with soccer gamers who have been beneath 18, with the age hole rising over time from 4 or 5 years to 23 years.
Birarda was dismissed by each the Whitecaps and Canada Soccer in October 2008.
Sensible says Birarda has admitted his guilt and co-operated with Crown prosecutors.
“This can be a match sentence when contemplating quite a lot of mitigating components together with that Mr. Birarda has no felony report, he’s sincerely remorseful and clearly understands the profound hurt he has brought on his victims and the wrongfulness of his actions,” Sensible says.
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Sept. 2, 2022.
