Figure skating coach charged
Kevin Michael Hicks faces four counts of sexual assault, one count of buggery
Kevin Michael Hicks was a well-liked and highly respected figure skating coach, known for his artistry and ability to bring people together for a good cause.
But Toronto police allege he was also a child abuser and have laid charges in connection with a student he coached in the1980s, saying the crimes began when the youngster was 12 years old and lasted for seven years.
They’re convinced the alleged victim, who rose to an elite level of skating nationally, was not alone. And police hope that now that he has come forward, others who may have been abused by Hicks will do the same.
“I’m led to believe that there were more victims by the statement I received from our one (alleged) victim,” Detective Constable Todd Jones of Toronto Police 23 Division told the Star in an interview Thursday. “During part of what we call the ‘grooming process’ by Hicks, he told our victim, as an attempt to re-assure him, ‘It’s okay. I’ve done this with other boys.’
“So, that’s one reason why we think there are other victims,” Jones said. “And the other is, just statistically with pedophiles, there’s never just one.”
Hicks, 53, a Toronto resident, was arrested on Monday in connection with a historical sexual assault investigation. He is charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of buggery for what police describe as repeated attacks on a boy between 1983 and 1990.
Hicks, who as a competitor won the 1975 Canadian junior men’s title and the 1974 novice crown, coached at various clubs across southern Ontario in the 1980s, including the GTA’s Woodbine Winter Skating Club, Weston Skating Club and Burlington Skating Club, as well Windsor Skating Club.
“This abuse continued relentlessly for the seven years,” Jones said. “It was continuous while they moved around to the different clubs.”
Asked if he knew why the alleged victim chose to come forward all these years later, Jones said: “He needs to heal.”
Hicks, who has been in jail since his arrest, is scheduled to appear in court at 2201 Finch Ave. W. at 10 a.m. Friday for a bail hearing.
Officials with the clubs where Hicks coached did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday. But a former president of a club where Hicks coached told the Windsor Star she was shocked by the news of the arrest of Hicks, who she recalls as being particularly good at setting up fundraisers and showcases for skaters.
“Everybody loved him,” Debbie Clarke, who was president of the Riverside Skating Club when Hicks coached there and at the Windsor Skating Club, told The Windsor Star. “He was very, very artistic.
“He was a great person to work with.”
Skate Canada spokesperson Barb MacDonald said police have not contacted the organization but, if they did, they would get complete cooperation. She said Hicks has not been a registered Skate Canada coach since 1989-90.
Sheldon Kennedy, the ex-NHLer who was molested by junior coach Graham James, said he couldn’t speak directly about this case because he doesn’t know enough about it. Speaking generally, he said if there are multiple victims they tend to feel better about coming forward once one has.
“These issues carry a paralyzing fear,” Kennedy told the Toronto Star. “What abuse victims try to do for so long is bury the abuse and the guilt and the shame and the damage that comes along with it. “When somebody cracks that door open, it brings it back to them and they realize that they need to do what’s right and they know they’re not alone,” said Kennedy, co-founder of Respect Group Inc., an organization which aims to educate coaches and activity leaders about abuse, bullying, harassment and neglect. “It empowers them to come forward.
“The healing process is huge, and coming forward is just the start.”