Two men testified Monday in B.C. Supreme Court that a hockey coach and auxiliary Mountie in Clearwater sexually touched them on separate occasions four decades ago — memories they cannot erase.
Both witnesses, now 55 years, testified independently and through a closed-circuit television so they did not have to face the man on trial. Alan Davidson is charged with six counts of indecent assault, incidents alleged to have occurred in the late 1970s.
Crown prosecutor Alex Janse told the court the sexual touching occured in a number of area towns due to the travel in the sports, hockey and baseball, where Davidson coached when he lived in Clearwater in the late 70s and early 80s.
Davidson was arrested in Alberta in 2014 after a complainant came forward. The investigation found other victims, including in Saskatchewan where Davidson later served as a Mountie. He has not yet gone on trial on those charges.
The former Mountie and sheriff in Alberta confessed to a number of sexual assaults on his arrest, Janse said.
“I thought I was the only one,” said the first witness, who recounted Davidson staying with his family as he did construction on the family home.
Davidson was 21 years old at the time.
His family owned a golf course in neighbouring Blackpool.
The identities of all the complainants are protected by a court order.
The first witness said Davidson slept in his bed when he stayed at the family home for a short period. His older brother was in his own bed on the other side of the room.
He recounted Davidson sliding over to him, under the covers, and performing a number of sexual acts on the 14-year-old boy.
“I basically froze,” said the man, who was accompanied in the separate room by a victim services support worker.
“I thought I would wake someone up — my brother or my parents. I was scared. I didn’t understand what was happening.”
Following that, he said Davidson was overly friendly to him, picking him up at school and buying him meals.
The second witness recounted, who recalled being 14 or 15 at the time, said he accepted an invitation to stay at a cabin overnight at the golf course.
That night Davidson showed him pornographic magazines, the first time the boy had ever seen pornography.
Davidson then performed sexual acts on him.
“He asked if he could touch me. . . . I thought it would be OK. So that’s what he did.”
The second witness said Davidson, an assistant hockey coach on his team, touched him on a second occasion after inviting him to Kamloops for an overnight visit to the city.
“I felt it was very wrong,” said the witness. “Mr. Davidson took advantage of me when I was young and innocent.”
Defence lawyer John Gustafson questioned whether the incidents ever took place. He asked the first witness whether Davidson instead offered to give him a neck massage after he complained of a migraine headache.
“I’m going to suggest Mr. Davidson had no sexual contact with you at all, except this one massage. Do you agree with that?” he asked.
“No,” came the first witness’s reply.
Both men said they have been psychologically scarred.
“It’s bothered me my whole life,” said the second witness. “There hasn’t been a day go by when I haven’t had Mr. Davidson in my mind, what happened. I take medication at night so I can sleep and I’m not thinking about this stuff all the time.”
Both told their stories to police only when the investigation started prior to Davidson’s arrest in 2014.
The trial in front of B.C. Supreme Court Justice Sheri Donegan is set for as long as three weeks.
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