A trial is underway in Saint-Jérôme, north of Montreal, for a former national ski coach who faces dozens of charges related to alleged sex crimes against girls as young as 12.
The 57 charges against Bertrand Charest include sexual assault and breach of trust, with the 12 alleged victims between the ages of 12 and 19 at the time.
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His trial began Thursday morning and is expected to last about a month.
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Charest has been in custody since his arrest in March 2015.
He worked with Alpine Canada‘s women’s development team between 1996 and 1998.
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The allegations date back to the 1990s and involve locations such as Mont-Tremblant, north of Montreal, and Whistler, B.C., as well as in France, Austria, New Zealand and the United States.