“My innocence was stolen from me,” said the victim and former student of the school where Véronie Campeau worked, a special education teacher who took advantage of her vulnerability to maintain a kind of “couple relationship” with her.
The young woman delivered a statement during the observations stage on the sentence that will be imposed on the woman.
Véronie Campeau, 42, pleaded guilty last March to charges of sexual interference, incitement to sexual contact, as well as sexual exploitation of a student she was supposed to help.
This one, who cannot be named by order of the Court, was only 13 years old when Véronie Campeau kissed her for the first time.
“When I think about Véronie, my heart hurts,” she declared before judge Anne-Marie Lanctôt at the Montreal courthouse. And these images come to me like attacks: I can’t help but see them. »
She says she envy her friends and all those young people she sees on television experiencing their first love: “ [Moi], “I was robbed of my innocence, my right to discovery, to experience a first relationship with someone my age. »
The criminal acts were committed over a long period, from 2011 to 2014, when the victim was between 13 and 16 years old, recalled the Crown prosecutor, Ms.e Karine Lagacé-Paquette.
She is asking for four years in prison, while the defense lawyer argued for two years of incarceration.
To justify the sentence requested, Me Lagacé-Paquette highlighted aggravating factors in the case: Ms. Campeau was in a position of authority and power. The lawyer also recalled recent judgments which indicate that penalties for sexual acts must be more severe when the victims are minors.
In addition, the victim here was particularly vulnerable: she was experiencing difficulties and that is why she sought help and ended up in Véronie Campeau’s office.
“The actions taken are very serious, very intrusive,” added the Crown prosecutor.
There are also mitigating factors that militate in favor of the offender, she admitted: she pleaded guilty, thus avoiding a trial for the victim, she has no criminal record and the risk of reoffending is weak, according to the pre-sentence report, which also indicates that she mobilized quickly to understand her actions. She is currently being followed by a psychotherapist.
“There are no excuses for abusing a child,” said Véronie Campeau’s lawyer, Me Gary Martin. “She recognizes from A to Z that what she did was wrong. »
But in order to obtain a lighter sentence for his client, Me Martin spoke about the difficulties she was experiencing and her “cognitive distortions.” He also highlighted “his empathy, his remorse and his regrets”, which are noted in all the reports of the specialists who evaluated her.
Judge Lanctôt will pronounce the sentence on December 6.