A golf coach accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl during a lesson flatly rejected the complainant’s allegations on Friday. The accused, Angie Éthier, claimed to have shown the young girl how to hit a ball without sticking to her.
Published yesterday at 11:44 a.m.
The 50-year-old man faces charges of sexual interference with a minor, incitement to sexual touching, sexual assault, assault with a weapon and assault causing injury. His trial opened Thursday at the Longueuil courthouse.
Angie Éthier is a professional golfer, a member of the Canadian Men’s Professional Golf Tour (PGA Tour Canada) since 2018. He gives golf lessons in Longueuil and Thailand. On his website, he describes himself as one of Quebec’s golf “experts”. He poses there with several children.
Mégane*, now 19 years old, said on Thursday that she was sexually assaulted by Angie Éthier when she was “12 or 13 years old”. His identity is protected by court order. We must therefore omit certain parts of the evidence presented at trial.
According to Mégane’s account, Angie Éthier took advantage of a golf lesson to “flatter her breasts” and move back and forth on her, while he was stuck behind her. She reported feeling something “hard” in her lower back, possibly a “penis.”
“I feel him breathing on my neck and his hands going up my arms and fondling my breasts. And the back and forth movement. I don’t feel comfortable,” she testified Thursday.
Testifying in her defense, Angie Éthier described this golf session in a very different way. First, a young boy was also present. In addition, the training ground was crowded on this beautiful spring Sunday.
Angie Éthier assured that she never touched Mégane’s body during the lesson. He maintains that he strictly showed the children, from a distance, how to hit the ball.
“I put myself in between to demonstrate the posture, how to hit a golf ball. I said, “We bend over, spread our legs and drop our arms.” They missed their shot. I told them, “Have fun, kids.” It lasted about an hour,” he described.
Thursday, in cross-examination, the defense lawyer, Mr.e Conrad Lord, asked Mégane why she did not tell the accused to stop at that time. “I’m afraid of him,” she replied. Following the criminal lawyer’s insistent questions, the young woman burst into tears.
Angie Éthier also denied on Friday having punched Mégane in the face and having thrown butter knives at her leg in other circumstances. “No,” he repeated.
The cross-examination of the accused, conducted by Crown prosecutor Me Marianne Benoit, continued Friday afternoon.
* Fictitious name
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