Former lawyer convicted of child sex crimes faces new charges

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Police say a former Ottawa lawyer convicted two years ago of assaulting a six-year-old girl is facing new charges.

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In a news release, Ottawa Police Service police said John David Coon, 58, was arrested on Thursday on five counts of violating court conditions.

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The conditions require him not to be in contact or communication with anyone under the age of 16, police said.

When he was sentenced in 2020, Coon was banned for 10 years from being near places where children congregate – playgrounds, swimming pools and schools.

A sample of his DNA has also been taken for the national database and he will be on the sex offender registry for 10 years.

In the statement, the OPS Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit said it fears there have been more violations of his release conditions.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5944.

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Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or crimestoppers.ca.

Coon fled the country in 2014, a month before Ottawa police were called.

For five years he lived as a fugitive in Thailand and taught at a children’s school.

He was arrested in Bangkok and returned to Ottawa under police escort in 2019.

He pleaded guilty to sexual interference in April 2020.

In 1991, Coon pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a girl, but was granted parole, which spared him a criminal record after 15 months on probation.

Although the Law Society of Ontario is aware of his history of child sex crimes, Coon was licensed and specialized in child protection law.

The court heard that a mitigating factor at sentencing was that Coon pleaded guilty and spared his victim and his family from testifying at trial.