Nova Scotia

Former Nova Scotia tennis coach sentenced for sexual offences

A former tennis coach in the Annapolis Valley has been sentenced to two years probation for a variety of sexual offences involving a 15-year-old boy.

Aaron Byron Cumberland, 29, convicted of charges relating to 15-year-old boy

Aaron Byron Cumberland was convicted last month of sex offences related to a teenage boy. (RCMP)

A former tennis coach in the Annapolis Valley has been sentenced to two years probation for a variety of sexual offences involving a 15-year-old boy.

Aaron Byron Cumberland, 29, was credited Tuesday for 18 months time already served in custody, including time spent in isolation.

In October, he was found guilty in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Kentville of luring a child, making sexually explicit material available to a child and invitation to sexual touching.

Cumberland's sentence also had a long list of conditions, including that he must stay away from public swimming pools, playgrounds and daycares.

It was the third trial on the charges after the first ended in a mistrial and the second with a hung jury. But after a week of testimony in the third trial and days of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict.

The case centred around Facebook messages Cumberland sent to a 15-year-old boy. The parents of the teen had testified they saw sexually explicit photos that were sent to their son.

Caught illegally entering Maine in 2018

In 2017, when Cumberland was wanted on an outstanding warrant, he turned himself in to Halifax police on the same day police asked for the public's help in locating him.

While he was awaiting trial in May 2018, Cumberland was caught illegally entering Maine on foot on a road that is not a designated entry point to the U.S.

An American border control official said Cumberland and two other men were carrying backpacks when they were stopped. A fingerprint check showed Cumberland was facing charges in Nova Scotia.