Vancouver and Coquitlam church worker who sexually assaulted 11 men and boys jailed for six and a half years

Seventy-eight year old Raymond Howard Gaglardi has been jailed for six and a half years for a string of sex attacks against boys and men he met at churches in Vancouver and Coquitlam.

According to Supreme Court of B.C. Justice Paul Riley, Gaglardi committed the offences over a period of 40 years — starting in 1971 — against 11 male victims aged 10 to 30.

“All of the victims were much younger than Gaglardi,” Riley wrote in his sentencing report. “In each instance, Gaglardi took advantage of a position of trust, exploited the vulnerability of the victim, and touched the victim in a sexual manner. Many of the victims suffered substantial and prolonged impacts as a result of Gaglardi’s offending behaviour.”

Gaglardi was found guilty of the offences last September.

Court heard the attacks occurred during two periods. The first from 1971 to 1981 while Gaglardi worked in various functions at the Glad Tidings Temple in Vancouver. The second was between 1993 and 2015 at the Hillside Community Church in Coquitlam.