The trial of former high school basketball coach Robert Luu began today, two years after his arrest on charges of sexually exploiting an underage athlete. The prosecution claims that when Luu was a basketball coach at École secondaire Saint-Laurent, he spotted a pre-teen player with potential when she was in sixth grade. She would soon develop an intimate relationship with Luu. During her testimony, the woman, who is now 23, explained that by the time she reached high school, Luu was the supervising coach. She said he took her to her doctor’s appointment, looked after her, and in return, she trusted him. Luu was twice her age. The woman testified that by the time she reached secondary two, she and her coach were having sex in his apartment, where he lived with his parents. Luu is the third former basketball coach from the Saint-Laurent high school to be tried for sexually exploiting young players under their watch. Last year, Charles-Xavier Boislard pleaded guilty to similar charges involving a different plaintiff, who is now 31. A third man, Daniel Lacasse, was acquitted after his trial. A Ministry of Education investigation later ruled that the school had failed to properly oversee the sports department. One of the plaintiffs has recently filed a civil lawsuit against the school, the school service centre and the teachers for failing to protect her. That case has yet to go before the courts. The criminal trial will continue this week.
