Former Winnipeg football coach sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexual assault

A disgraced Winnipeg high school football coach convicted of sexual assault and enticement will spend 20 years behind bars.

Kelsey McKay was sentenced Monday in Manitoba provincial court. He pleaded guilty in July 2023 to nine counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual harassment.

In a lengthy decision read in court, provincial judge Raymond Wyant sentenced McKay to 54 years, reduced to 20 years in prison.

McKay was a prominent figure in the Winnipeg soccer community as a coach and physical education teacher at Churchill High School and Vincent Massey Collegiate.

However, the court heard McKay used his “significant power” in the community and his position of trust – he was described as a “father figure” – to lure and sexually assault his victims, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban.

His victims were between 13 and 18 years old at the time of the attacks. Many of them told the court that they suffered from mental health problems, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts after the attacks.

This is a developing story. More will follow.