Canada can crack down domestically on its citizens who engage in sex tourism. Friday, a Quebecer who sexually assaulted a young girl for 7 years in Cuba and who made child pornography has just been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Alain Vandette, 59, learned of his fate on Friday afternoon.
He was arrested for his crimes in 2019, in Montreal, and pleaded guilty two years later.
This is one of the harshest sentences imposed for this type of crime, said Crown prosecutor Mr.e Jerome Laflamme.
Normally, trials must take place in the country where the crimes were committed. But since 1997, it has been possible to prosecute Canadians who commit sex crimes outside the country’s borders. This is why Alain Vandette had to answer for his despicable actions in a courtroom at the Montreal courthouse.
This is a “particularly despicable form of colonialism,” denounced Judge Alexandre Dalmau of the Court of Quebec.
“Canada has a long arm,” commented Mr.e Laflamme leaving the courtroom, with this message for Canadians who will be tempted to commit sexual crimes against children abroad: “We will prosecute you”.
Vandette posed as the savior of the child he assaulted and of his mother because he provided for their needs. According to him, the mother worked for 50 cents a day cleaning the toilets of a gas station and the child had no toys.
The judge was not moved by these words: he rather sees in them “a perfect demonstration of the sexual exploitation of a child who finds herself in a situation of great poverty, therefore of great vulnerability”.
The assaults on the girl, from age 7 until age 14, are frequent, repeated and degrading — and often with the involvement of the child’s mother, whom Vandette married in 2013. He has then took countless photos and staged videos.
The magistrate detailed in his judgment the sexual crimes committed, but their account will be spared to readers.
We note, however, that it was written that Vandette and the mother “used the child as an object, a sexual toy, without any consideration for his humanity”.
“Rather, they dehumanized her for the sexual gratification of the offender.”
“The particularly demeaning actions of the offender demonstrated in these images are a direct attack on human dignity and the sanctity that society places on the protection of children.”
According to Vandette, the mother is currently in prison in Cuba. His lawyer would not speak to reporters on Friday.
Judge Dalmau believes that Vandette has no empathy and that he tries to justify his actions and minimize them with sentences pronounced at the hearing for release such as “on vacation, you’re on vacation, it’s not the same”, “it’s common there”, and that it was the girl’s mother who dragged him in and that he “let himself be lulled into it”, completely ignoring the fact that he was using child pornography long before he met her.
Today the prosecution thinks a lot about the victim, who is now 17, said Me The flame. “We couldn’t meet her, we don’t know her, but she is in our thoughts and we hope she will be fine”.
“We wish him a peaceful life. »