Former Regina Pats junior hockey coach to appeal sexual assault conviction
Bernard 'Bernie' Lynch sentenced to 3 years in prison for alleged sexual assault of 17-year-old in 1998
The legal saga of a former junior hockey coach convicted of sexual assault is not yet over.
Bernard 'Bernie' Lynch, 69, has filed documents with the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal indicating he plans to appeal his conviction for the alleged1998 sexual assault and assault of a 17-year-old.
At the time of the alleged assault, Lynch was an assistant coach with the Western Hockey League's Regina Pats. Lynch was alleged to haveinappropriately touchedand then hita teenager.
Lynch pleaded not guilty to both charges and testified in his own defence that the events described by the complaint never happened. During a four day trial in 2023, Justice Peter Bergbusch accepted the testimony of the complainantwhose identity is protected under a publication ban.
Lynch was sentenced to three years in a federal penitentiary during a hearing at the Court of King's Bench in January.
Lynch's sentence also included his DNA going into a database, Lynch having tocomply with the sex offender registration act for 20 years, a prohibitionfrom possessing a firearm for 10 years and Lynch not being allowed to make contactwith the victim.
Documents obtained atthe Court of Appeal in Regina indicateLynch filed his application past the 30-day limit for an appeal.
However, Lynch says his parole officer faxed his documents to the wrong number and that he should therefore be provided an extension.
The Crown has not opposed the appeal.
Lynch's application indicates he plans to argue that Justice Berbusch erred by failing to properly apply "uneven scrutiny to the evidence of the complaint and the accused" and that Berbusch "misapprehended the evidence."
A date for the appeal hearing has not yet been sent.
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