A cyberpredator guilty of luring a teenage girl online who turned out to be an investigative journalist was sentenced to 16 months in prison on Friday. Rémi Richard was very enthusiastic to meet a 14-year-old girl “who likes to show off”.
The 56-year-old was convicted in 2021 of computer luring and making sexually explicit material accessible to a child. In this unprecedented case, the heart of the evidence was based on journalistic material since the “victim” was a journalist from the investigative program I.
As part of her report, the journalist had created the profile of a 14-year-old girl on Periscope, an application allowing live streaming of videos. His report broadcast in November 2017 did not reveal the identity of Rémi Richard. Except a viewer recognized him and alerted the police, leading to the present charges.
The cyberpredator had masturbated for an hour while chatting with the one he thought was 14 years old. “Any age. As long as it doesn’t go 10-11-12-13 years old. A girl who shows off and is a voyeur. Not a child,” he told the reporter. “You’re 14… if you want to show off, you look good,” he continued.
It was following this exchange that Rémi Richard asked the teenager to meet him in a parking lot in Angrignon Park in Montreal. But television cameras were waiting for him there.
Among the aggravating factors, Judge Josée Bélanger also held that Rémi Richard had set an appointment with the victim. She also pointed out that the accused presented a level of risk “in the average”, according to an expert.
According to reports, Remi Richard denies being sexually attracted to underage girls and therefore does not see the relevance of undergoing specialized sex offender therapy.
Crown prosecutor M.e Charles Doucet was asking for 20 months in prison, while defense lawyer Me Tom Pentefountas demanded 12 months in detention.
Rémi Richard will be registered in the Sex Offender Registry for a period of 20 years.