The Major Crimes Investigation Division of the Sûreté du Québec arrested karate instructor Réal Chayer, 59, from Saint-Lin-Laurentides, for sex offences.
Réal Chayer was arrested on a warrant on Jan. 15. The crimes took place between July 2001 and December 2022, say police.
He appeared at the Joliette courthouse to face 61 new charges and was remanded in custody.
He was previously arrested on May 17, 2023, on a warrant for sexual assault, sexual contact and incitement to contact. He was released last year on several conditions.
The investigation revealed that Chayer had access to his victims in a position of authority related to his involvement in sport, among others as a coach.
Since several victims have been identified, the management structure for serial crime investigations (GECS), coordinated by the Sûreté du Québec, has been deployed.
It is a unified command structure in which Quebec police services work in partnership to quickly identify and arrest crimes committed by predators. This provincial coordination therefore allows police resources to be pooled and aims to better protect victims.
The Sûreté du Québec reminds that at any time, the public can also transmit information confidentially to the Criminal Information Center of the Sûreté du Québec at 1-800-659-4264.
