Dinner, porn, and betrayal: The staggering case of Coach Ken Porter and the hidden abuse that haunted athletes for decades

Time of India

a day ago

In a decision that brings a painful saga spanning nearly five decades to a legal conclusion, 76-year-old Thomas Kenneth Porter, a former Edmonton track coach, has been found guilty of historical sexual offenses against three teenage boys he coached in the 1970s.
The ruling, delivered by Court of King's Bench Justice Nicholas Devlin on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, marks a significant moment for the victims, some of whom have waited years for justice.
In this case, the incidents date back to 1976-1980, when the victims were between 15 and 17 years old. The charges brought against Porter were "
indecent assault
" and "
gross indecency
," which were the relevant Criminal Code offenses at that time.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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Justice Devlin concluded that Porter, under the guise of athletic massages, sexually touched the teens for his gratification. Disturbingly, one incident involved Porter inviting boys to his apartment for dinner, showing them pornography, and then offering "rubdowns", his term for the massages he gave young athletes.
This predatory behavior was deemed an "exploitation or perversion of contact by a trusted adult," causing "discomfort, confusion, and even revulsion among the victims."
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The story is brought vividly to life through the testimony of Chris Dallin, who, at 14, began training with Porter.
He was the first to report his experiences to the police in 2007, nearly 30 years after the abuse. Almost 20 years later, and close to 50 years after the initial trauma, Dallin bravely asked the court to lift the publication ban on his name. "I no longer have any shame about this," he stated, emphasizing the importance of sharing his story and helping others understand that "it's OK to kind of go through this."
This criminal case emerged after a 2019 independent investigation commissioned by
Athletics Canada
, led by former
Ontario
ombudsman André Marin, into widespread
sexual misconduct
allegations.
Marin's report ultimately led to Porter's firing as chair of the Ottawa Lions track and field club and a lifetime ban from Athletics Canada. Notably, Marin "astonishingly" encouraged complainants to reach out to each other, a factor that later led to questions about potential influence on memories during the trial.
While Porter was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault and three counts of gross indecency, he was acquitted on five other charges, including those related to an alleged
sexual assault
in a Saskatoon hotel room involving
Dallin. Despite the acquittal on the hotel incident, Justice Devlin explicitly stated he was "sure Mr. Porter sexually touched [Dallin] for his gratification," finding the coach was "infatuated" with the teenage Dallin. Porter's own "shifting, self-serving, almost desperate evidence" left him "bereft of credibility" in the judge's eyes, who further stated that Porter "was not concerned at all with sexually arousing the teenage boys he was laying hands on."
Dallin, who endured years of struggle with drug and alcohol dependency after the trauma, expressed disappointment over the acquittal on the hotel incident but was grateful for how seriously the case was handled.
"Kids, young people, need a few people out there who show the way," Dallin said, hoping his story encourages others to break their silence. Porter remains on bail, awaiting his sentence, which will be determined at a later date.