Former West Island baseball coach guilty of sexual assault on 13-year-old boy
WARNING: Details in this story may be upsetting to some readers.
A former West Island baseball coach has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a minor he was hired to train.
Robert Litvack, 44, coached baseball and was a personal trainer and was found guilty of abusing a 13-year-old boy.
"Mr. Litvack was convicted on both counts of sexual interference, as well as sexual assault," said Crown prosecutor Camille Boucher.
The Dollard-des-Ormeaux resident would massage the boy's legs and, on multiple occasions, asked him to lower his underwear so he could massage his buttocks.
During his trial, Litvack testified that the massages were to relieve soreness and that there was no sexual intent.
However, Justice Josee Belanger said in her ruling that she could not ignore the fact that the boy's parents were never told about the massages.
"Given all the circumstances in the case, she concluded that there was a sexual purpose to the touching," said Boucher.
Litvack was once the president of the Lac St-Louis Baseball Association and an assistant baseball coach at John Abbott College.
Belanger described him as "an experienced coach and an important person in the baseball world."
Given Litvack's position of trust and authority, Boucher believes the verdict sends a strong message.
"I think that it shows that sometimes, if we get involved in the process, it can lead to some results," she said.
The boy's parents did not want to go on camera but did say outside the courtroom that while it's been extremely emotional, they're relieved Litvack is convicted.
Sentencing arguments are set to begin later in September.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian family stuck in Lebanon anxiously awaits flight options amid Israeli strikes
A Canadian man who is trapped in Lebanon with his family says they are anxiously waiting for seats on a flight out of the country, as a barrage of Israeli airstrikes continues.
NDP house leader says House dysfunction will be a factor in future confidence votes
NDP House leader Peter Julian says there's more his party wants to do in Parliament before the next election, but if the current dysfunction continues it will become a factor in how they vote on a confidence measure.
Youth pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of P.E.I. teen Tyson MacDonald
A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
BREAKING Jury begins deliberations in Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial
The jury tasked with determining if Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard sexually assaulted a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago began deliberating Friday after nearly two weeks of testimony that saw the singer and his accuser give starkly different accounts of what happened.
Yazidi woman captured by ISIS rescued in Gaza after more than a decade in captivity
A 21-year-old Yazidi woman has been rescued from Gaza where she had been held captive by Hamas for years after being trafficked by ISIS.
Scientists looked at images from space to see how fast Antarctica is turning green. Here's what they found
Parts of icy Antarctica are turning green with plant life at an alarming rate as the region is gripped by extreme heat events, according to new research, sparking concerns about the changing landscape on this vast continent.
Suspect in shooting of Toronto cop was out on bail
A 21-year-old man who was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a Toronto police officer this week was out on bail at the time of the alleged offence, court documents obtained by CTV News Toronto show.
A Michigan man is charged with killing and dismembering a janitor he met on the Grindr dating app
Prosecutors have charged a Michigan man with killing and dismembering a janitor he met on the dating app Grindr.
A 6-year-old girl was kidnapped in Arkansas in 1995. Almost 30 years later, a suspect was identified
Nearly 30 years after a six-year-old girl disappeared in Western Arkansas, authorities have identified a suspect in her abduction through DNA evidence.