Nova Scotia RCMP have reported that a man from Dartmouth is confronting 66 sex-related charges after a prolonged investigation into numerous sexual assaults at a provincial youth correctional facility. Donald Douglas Williams, aged 75, who served as a swim instructor at the Nova Scotia Youth Centre in Waterville from 1988 to 2017, was taken into custody at his residence over the weekend.
Among the charges, Williams is accused of three counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm, 28 counts of sexual assault, 32 counts of sexual exploitation, and additional charges including sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, and assault. The authorities have disclosed that Williams has been released pending his court appearance scheduled for September 26 in Kentville, Nova Scotia.
The alleged offenses are said to have taken place at the correctional facility between 1989 and 2015. The investigation, named Operation Headwind, involved extensive interviews with over 450 survivors and witnesses across Canada, along with the examination of more than 9,800 documents.