Peterborough police believe there may be more victims of a 65-year-old British Columbia man who has been charged in connection with a sexual assault alleged to have taken place four decades ago.
The Peterborough Police Service launched an investigation in August 2021 after receiving information from a male victim about sexual assaults dating back to the 1980s.
As a result of the investigation, a Canada-wide warrant was issued on January 7 for Gary Bratty, who was arrested by the RCMP in British Columbia on January 17. Peterborough police detectives brought the accused man back to Ontario.
Bratty has been charged with sexual assault, indecent assault on a male, invitation to sexual touching, and sexual interference. He was held in custody pending a bail hearing.
Peterborough police are releasing Bratty’s name as they believe there are further victims who have yet to come forward.
Bratty was a professional weightlifter who was chosen for Team Canada’s weightlifting team for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, but did not compete because Canada boycotted the games. He was affiliated with Big Brothers of Hamilton in the early 1980s and trained numerous youths in weightlifting throughout the city of Hamilton during this time.
Bratty also worked in provincial correctional facilities in Toronto, Peterborough, and Ottawa from 1980 to 1989. In 1990, Bratty moved to British Columbia where he resided in the Vancouver and Burnaby areas and coached weightlifting at a university in the lower mainland of BC.
Police are requesting further victims to reach out to the police service where they currently live, or to call Detective Constable L. White of the Peterborough Police Service at 705-876-1122 ext. 285.
