Charles-Xavier Boislard, a former basketball coach for young high school girls, was sentenced to 48 months in prison on Thursday after admitting to sexually exploiting a minor student.
Boislard received his sentence at the Montreal courthouse.
During submissions on the sentence, the Crown had suggested a sentence of five years in prison while Boislard’s lawyer had argued for a sentence of between 15 months and 2 years less one day in prison.
He pleaded guilty
Arrested in 2022, Charles-Xavier Boislard pleaded guilty in November 2024 admitting to having had sexual relations on several occasions with a minor girl, between 2010 and 2012 at his home, while he was in a position of authority.
At the time of the incident, the victim was an elite basketball player at the school where Charles-Xavier Boislard taught, namely Saint-Laurent secondary school, located in the borough of the same name in Montreal.
Initially, Boislard was also accused of sexual assault and sexual interference, but the accusations fell during the legal proceedings.
Two other arrests
Two other former coaches at Saint-Laurent high school were arrested in 2022 in the same case: Daniel Lacasse and Robert Luu.
During their arrests, the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) launched an appeal to the general public to find potential victims of the three men.
“Since many minors have been part of the sports teams to which the three men are linked over the years, investigators have reason to believe that other young girls could have been victims of similar acts, from 2005 to this day [2022]», Explained the SPVM.
At the end of a trial which took place at the Montreal courthouse, Daniel Lacasse was acquitted of sexual exploitation and assault causing bodily harm.
In his decision, Judge Alexandre Dalmau then affirmed that the court could not establish beyond a reasonable doubt whether the sexual contacts between Lacasse and the victim had started before or after she turned 18.
“This verdict does not mean that the events described by the complainant did not occur,” the judge also mentioned.
Robert Luu, for his part, was convicted in December 2025 of sexual assault, sexual contact and incitement to sexual contact with a minor.
Submissions on the sentence, then the decision on the sentence, should take place in the coming months in Mr. Luu’s case.
External investigation of the school
The arrest of three sports coaches from Saint-Laurent high school caused a stir in 2022 when witnesses, including school employees, contacted media claiming to have tried, in vain, to denounce the abuses of the accused coaches.
Some described the climate within the Saint-Laurent high school girls’ basketball program as “harmful.”
The situation pushed the Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Service Center (CSSSMB) to commission experts to shed light on the “work climate and these reported events”.
The Minister of Education at the time, Jean-François Roberge, also requested that an investigation be launched by the Ministry of Education.
“Students and school staff must feel confident and safe in our schools,” he wrote in 2022.
The government report, unveiled in January 2023, suggested that female student-athletes were placed in vulnerable situations over a 20-year period in a school culture that “normalized” delinquent behavior.
“It is more likely than not that the dignity of some female basketball players was not respected during their stay at Saint-Laurent School over the past 20 years,” the report read. “These young people did not benefit from a healthy and safe environment.”
With information from Marika Simard, Marie-Pier Boucher and Audrey Bonaque for Noovo Info as well as CTV News.
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