MONTREAL - A former high-performance Canadian ski coach convicted of 37 sex-related charges involving the exploitation and sexual assault of his young female students is appealing the verdict.
Bertrand Charest's lawyer argues the trial judge erred in several instances and that his client should be acquitted on all charges or granted a new trial.
Quebec court Judge Sylvain Lepine called Charest a sexual predator when he convicted him last month on charges involving nine of the 12 women who'd accused him.
The crimes date back more than 20 years when he trained aspiring professional downhill skiers.
Charest, 52, was acquitted on 18 of the charges, while the court said it didn't have jurisdiction over two other counts that happened abroad.
The 57 charges included sexual assault, sexual exploitation and one of sexual assault causing bodily harm.
