A Massachusetts hockey coach is facing sexual assault charges on three different children, but it was the news of there being a total of eight different accusers that brought some to tears in the courtroom.
Thirty-one-year-old Christopher Prew of Marblehead was in Lynn District Court for a dangerousness hearing on Wednesday after he was indicted for alleged child rape earlier this week.
Sexual assault charges were filed against Prew involving two additional children.
In court, it was announced that there are ongoing investigations into allegations made by eight children. Most of the children are from Essex County, with one of the accusers coming all the way from Canada, visiting Marblehead as part of an exchange program.
The youngest child accusing Prew is 6, according to the court.
Prew, a private hockey coach and owner of Hot Shot Academy, is accused of indecent assault and aggravated rape of a 9-year-old boy multiple times between September 2017 and January 2018. His attorney previously told NBC10 Boston his client was intimately involved with the 9-year-old child's mother.
The mother didn't respond when NBC10 Boston stopped by for comment but here is what she told police about Prew's involvement with her son:
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"He basically started by offering to teach the child how to skate, brought him to buy the equipment to skate, brought him to the rink to teach him how to skate, would pick him up and bring him to hockey practice. Really just had a lot of one-on-one time with the child."
Some of that one-on-one time allegedly took place at the mother's second home where Prew reportedly stayed. Police records do indicate Prew and the boy's mother were in a relationship.
Prew was ordered to be held without bail on Wednesday. He'll be back in Lynn District Court next week.
