Bitter gymnast made false sex assault allegations, defence argues in Brubaker case
SARNIA, Ont. — A former athlete who trained under one of Canada’s top gymnastics coaches accused him of sexual assault because she was bitter about not achieving her Olympic dreams, the man’s lawyer argued at his trial Friday as a prosecutor urged a judge to take the woman’s allegations seriously.
Dave Brubaker, who was the director of the women’s national gymnastics team, has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation.
The complainant, whose name is protected by a publication ban, was one of Brubaker’s top athletes and took up much of his attention at his gym in Sarnia, Ont., court heard.
“We suggest that obvious and significant disappointment when her aspiration to become an Olympic gymnast slowly but perceptibly diminished, when her coach and surrogate father went on to take other gymnasts to great successes, had a significant effect on her psyche,” defence lawyer Patrick Ducharme told the court in his closing arguments.