Ex-Whitecaps, Soccer Canada coach gets jail for sex assault
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Former Vancouver Whitecaps and Soccer Canada coach Bob Birarda has been sentenced to over a year in jail after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual touching involving teens. Provincial court judge Deanne Gaffar said Birarda “immeasurably harmed” and violated the sexual integrity of four “youthful” soccer players, three of whom were under 18 years old at the time of the offenses. The 55-year-old Birarda was sentenced Wednesday to nearly 16 months in jail and eight months served in the community under conditions that have not yet been disclosed. Gaffar said Birarda abused his position of trust with the victims between 1988 and 2008.