A former Canadian Army corporal was sentenced to 15 months in prison for taking advantage of his rank to sexually assault three young female soldiers during training camps in Valcartier in 2018.
Hubert Boissel-Caron demanded a conditional discharge accompanied by community service, but Judge Jean Asselin estimated that the public would lose confidence in the administration of justice if the soldier escaped a criminal record. The magistrate notably cited the decision of the Court of Appeal in the file of the engineer Simon Houle to explain his position.
“Pronouncing a discharge in this case would send a negative message to the public and to the victims,” said the judge during the pronouncement of the sentence Thursday at the Quebec courthouse.
Among the elements that militated in favor of a prison sentence, the judge notably identified the fact that there were three victims for a total of five separate events, that the court remained “perplexed” about the accused’s remorse and that the offenses were committed in the context of authority.
Five events
The soldier took advantage of training camps given in the summer of 2018 to attack the three young women.
In all three cases, Boissel-Caron began by massaging his subordinates at the level of the shoulders before sliding his hands at the level of their breasts, their buttocks and sometimes up to their crotch, over their clothes. He went so far as to slip his hands under a victim’s sweater and bra and also attempted to kiss her.
A total of five events occurred.
Sexological and pre-sentence reports present the accused as having a lack of sensitivity and empathy towards the victims, trivializing the consequences on them.
However, Judge Asselin took this into account when imposing his sentence.
“The psychological after-effects are important for two of the victims”, argued the magistrate, recalling the testimony of one of them who said she was “seriously disturbed”.
“Living with fears or constant fears is not a way of life,” testified the young woman. “It affects everything I do. I am exhausted from fighting fear.”
The crown prosecutor welcomed the judge’s decision, which demanded a sentence of 18 to 24 months.
“We can be very satisfied, not only by the sentence imposed, but also by the comments made by the judge. He took the time to take stock of the situation and the victims can be very satisfied,” said Ms.e Martine Savard.
Expelled from the army: “the least of things”
Corporal in the army, Boissel-Caron was expelled for dishonor and was forced to hand over all the distinctions he received during his career. His lawyer has also pleaded the whole as a factor to be taken into consideration in the imposition of the sentence.
“We are in the presence of a highly rehabilitable individual. He went through the process and he pleaded guilty. Yes, he will have a sentence, but the biggest consequence for him is to have realized that it was zero tolerance within the armed forces and to have been taken out of his workplace, “said Mr.e Kamy Pelletier Khamphinith.
To which Judge Asselin retorted that it was “the least of things”.