Virus Delays Trial For Marblehead Coach Accused Of Sex Abuse

MARBLEHEAD, MA — The trial private hockey coach and former Marblehead resident accused of sexually abusing Massachusetts boys between the ages of 7 and 13 was delayed this week until November because of the coronavirus.

It was the second delay of the trial of Christopher Prew, who is also facing charges in Middlesex County and Vermont. The trial was originally scheduled to begin May 4.

Prew has been in prison since November, when a judge revoked his bail.He is accused of sexually assaulting seven boys across Essex County. Prosecutors say most of the allegations took place between Jan. 1, 2017 and Feb. 5, 2018. Prew has also been indicted for molesting a boy in Newton.

Related Story: How A Marblehead Man Accused Of Sex Abuse Was Freed On Bail

Prew, who provided private and group coaching sessions out a hockey company he co-owns, was initially accused of indecently assaulting and orally raping a 9-year-old boy on various dates between Sept. 1 and Jan. 31, 2018. Marblehead police began investigating Prew after the boy told his mother of the alleged assaults, officials said.

Prew's attorney said at the time of the first indictment that Prew had been "intimately involved with the mother of the child" and expected his client to be vindicated.