A jury is now deliberating the fate of Sebastien Devrainne, a Kelowna equestrian coach accused of sexual touching, assault, and child luring. The trial concluded on June 29 after submissions from both defence and Crown counsel.
According to court documents, the alleged crimes date back over a decade and involve a former student who is now an adult. Defence lawyers argued that there was no evidence to prove a romantic relationship between Devrainne and the student while she was underage. However, Crown counsel presented messages exchanged between the two in 2023 as evidence of wrongdoing.
The messages allegedly show Devrainne stating that he had sex with the victim when she was 16 years old, despite her claim that it happened at 17. Defence lawyers argued that these messages were sent after the student had turned 18 and were not relevant to the alleged crimes. However, Crown counsel pointed out that if Devrainne hadn't done anything wrong, he would have no reason to be worried about the victim sharing a message about their past interactions.
The trial also heard testimony from the former student, who described her age in a photo taken at an equestrian competition as between 15 and 17. The jury was shown messages exchanged between Devrainne and the student that included explicit content and comments about the victim's youth.
Drevainne has been under court-ordered restrictions on communicating with anyone under 18 since his arrest in November 2023, and he has not coached equestrian since then.
The trial is now in the hands of a jury, who will deliberate to determine Devrainne's fate.