A former Olympian and track coach accused of sexually abusing boys in the 1970s was sentenced to up to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to assault charges.
Conrad Mainwaring, 72, pleaded guilty Feb. 8 to 14 charges of indecent assault and battery in connection with the sexual abuse of nine youth at a sports camp in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, more than four decades ago.
However, “the total number of Conrad Mainwaring victims remains unknown,” the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Mainwaring, who represented Antigua and Barbuda in track and field in the 1976 Summer Olympics, had a career coaching track at various educational institutions and camps.
After the Olympics, he worked at Camp Greylock for Boys between 1976 and 1979, where “the defendant is confirmed to have sexually abused nine children,” the district attorney’s office said.
Camp Greylock did not immediately respond to a phone call and email seeking comment Wednesday night.
Prosecutors alleged Mainwaring used his Olympic credentials to groom boys and made them believe that the sexual assault would make them better athletes, The Associated Press reported. The victims ranged in age from 13 to 19.
“He used his Olympic status to abuse young boys,” District Attorney Timothy Shugrue told the court. “He chose young, attractive, athletic boys, young men because he knew, at least he thought he knew, they would not speak up. This was his opportunity for self-gratification, a fraud at the expense of many, many lives.”
Some of the survivors addressed Mainwaring at Thursday’s hearing.
“The trauma from that has caused my life to be full of darkness, sadness and devoid of hope. I’ve suffered so much for so many years,” John Shapiro said, describing how he was abused at the Massachusetts camp, according to The Associated Press.
“Too painful to describe and too tortuous to put into words, but I’m making an attempt here and now. My life has never…
Read the full article here