Sex charges against Sarnia gymnastics coach David Brubaker date back to 2000, court documents show

Put on leave by the sport’s governing body, and ordered to stay away from 23 people, the Sarnia coach who heads Canada’s national women’s gymnastics team is accused of 10 sexual offences over eight years against a girl who was younger than 16 during at least some of that time, Postmedia News has learned.

David Brubaker, charged Friday, was released on bail, with neither Sarnia police nor Gymnastics Canada providing details of the allegations, the latter citing a publication ban — standard in evidence heard in bail hearings — in the case.

But court documents obtained Monday by Postmedia detail the charges, which relate to alleged incidents between 2000 and 2007.

His bail conditions include the requirement he stay away from the complainant and 22 other people, and that he live at his home.

The second Gymnastics Canada coach to be accused of sexual offences within two weeks, Brubaker had also been the longtime director of the Bluewater Gymnastics Club in Sarnia.

Brubaker is charged with three counts of sexual assault, three counts of touching a person under the age of 16 for a sexual purpose, two counts of inviting a person under 16 to touch him for a sexual purpose and two counts of being in a position of trust or authority over a young person he touched for a sexual purpose.

Sarnia police said Monday there had been no new developments in the case over the weekend.

Brubaker’s lawyer had not immediately responded to a request for comment.

Gymnastics Canada planned to formally notify its athletes and their families Monday to provide support and to encourage anyone with concerns to contact the organization, its spokesperson Julie Forget said. In an earlier statement, Gymnastics Canada said it was “shocked and deeply troubled” about the charges.

The group said Brubaker has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

“Our first priority within Gymnastics Canada is always the safety of our athletes,” Richard Crepin, who chairs the group’s board of directors, said.

Brubaker was Canada’s head gymnastics coach at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the women’s national team director at the 2017 world championships in Montreal in October.

Besides being required to stay away from 23 people and live at home, Brubaker’s bail conditions include that he not go to public parks, pools or places where people under age 16 may be present, and that he not work or volunteer where he’d be in a position of trust for people younger than 16.

Gymnastics Canada recently suspended Michel Arsenault, an Edmonton-based coach accused of sexually abusing three former students in Quebec in the 1980s and 1900s.

According to Brubaker’s LinkedIn page, he became the national team director for Gymnastics Canada in May 2014 and served in another capacity with the organization beginning in 2009.

He’s also been the director since 1985 of the Bluewater Gymnastics Club in Sarnia, whose board placed him on indefinite unpaid leave after learning of the charges and said he would no longer be allowed on the property.