A 24-year-old Ottawa man has been charged in a sex assault case involving a girl under the age of 16.
Police say the accused is a soccer coach named Matthew Braithwaite.
Braithwaite is accused of sexually assaulting the minor on two occasions. He was arrested following a complaint to the Ottawa police last month.
He has formally been charged with:
- 2 counts of sexual assault
- 2 counts of sexual interference of a person under the age of 16
Police describe Braithwaite as a physically fit, clean-shaven white man with blonde hair. He is being held in police custody.
Braithwaite was a coach with the Gloucester Hornets soccer team. He has since been suspended from the club.
In a statement sent to members, the Gloucester Hornets said they were fully cooperating with the police and the children's aid society.
"The Hornets organization takes all matters concerning the health and welfare of its players seriously, and does not tolerate any actions that run to the contrary," a statement from the team said.
"This is clearly an upsetting situation, but unfortunately we cannot comment in great detail due to the police investigation."
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ottawa Police Service Sexual Assault/Child Abuse Section at (613) 236-1222 ext. 5944 or phone Crime Stoppers at (613) 233-8477 (TIPS) or toll free at 1-800-222-8477.
