A British Columbia man who is now in his late 70s has been found guilty of numerous counts of sexual assault.
Coquitlam resident Raymond Gaglardi appeared in BC Supreme Court in New Westminster on Monday (Sept. 26.), and court records show he was convicted on 11 counts.
The charges related to historical sexual assaults of young men or teenage boys who attended several Coquitlam-area churches between 1993 and 2007.
RCMP said in 2020 that the offences happened at Gaglardi's home, where he offered therapy sessions to the victims after meeting their parents at the Metro Vancouver churches.
An investigation began in 2019, and the first charges were laid the following year, when Gaglardi was 75 years old.
He is scheduled to return to court for a pre-sentence report on Dec. 8.
In July, 2020, Coquitlam RCMP publicized a photo of Gaglardi in the hopes of gaining more information from possible victims.
An RCMP spokesperson acknowledged at the time that it might be difficult for adult men to come forward but said churches were co-operating with the RCMP.
— with files from Diane Strandberg
