A former junior hockey coach in Regina who was found guilty of physically and sexually assaulting a teenage player under his supervision had his day parole revoked, as per a recent ruling from the Parole Board of Canada. Bernard “Bernie” Lynch, who had served as an assistant coach for the Regina Pats in the Western Hockey League, was convicted in 2023 for inappropriate actions towards a 17-year-old back in August 1988.
Following his trial, Lynch was sentenced to three years in prison, but he was granted day parole in September 2024. However, his parole was revoked after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) informed his parole supervisor on May 26, 2025, that Lynch had breached his conditions by sending a friend request to the victim on Facebook. This led to Lynch being taken into custody on the same day.
During his parole hearing, Lynch admitted to searching the victim’s Facebook profile for the past six months due to alleged defamatory posts. He claimed that the friend request was accidental and that he had no intention of communicating with the victim. Despite offering various explanations for the incident, the parole board did not find Lynch’s justifications credible, citing inconsistencies in his statements.
The parole board noted Lynch’s tendency to downplay his actions and portray himself as a victim. It concluded that Lynch lacked insight into his offending behavior and did not have a viable release plan to manage his risk in the community, leading to the decision to revoke his day parole.
Previously, Lynch’s day parole had been suspended due to concerns about his behavior at a community-based residential facility where he had displayed inappropriate boundary issues and obsessive behavior towards other residents. Despite being reprimanded and resuming day parole at a different facility, Lynch’s parole was once again revoked by the recent parole board decision.
