A man from Lanaudière recently confessed to having repeatedly sexually assaulted a young girl placed in his foster home by the DPJ for four years.
The young victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, had the courage to denounce the actions of Alain Lavallée to his primary school teacher in the fall of 2021.
The Lanaudière resident was quickly arrested by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ). And more than two years later, the 59-year-old man finally pleaded guilty to various sexual charges at the Joliette courthouse.
“The aggressions […] were so frequent that the victim is unable to quantify them precisely,” we mention in the agreed summary of facts filed in court earlier this month.
The first took place in the family swimming pool, when the girl was around seven or eight years old.
The accused repeated his actions in the swimming pool, but also during vacations in Maine or Mexico.
The majority of sexual assaults, however, occurred while the accused’s former partner left the home to go shopping, once a week.
“It was so recurrent that she experienced attacks that the young girl knew […] that she had to wear loose pants or shorts and no underwear at the express request of the accused,” we can read.
The accused then asked the other children to go play outside the house.
The young victim was also attacked in her bedroom and in the bathroom, but especially on the second floor of the residence, “since there was a rule that no one was allowed to go upstairs,” indicates- your.
The child repeatedly tried to refuse his father’s requests for foster care, to no avail.
“The victim reports that she complied because she was afraid of what the accused could do to her if she did not do it,” it was stated in court.
Lavallée confirmed the majority of events during his interrogation with the SQ. However, he attributed responsibility to the young girl “mentioning that she was the one who started and that he told her no at the beginning”.
Other victims
Other victims came forward to the authorities after the media coverage of the arrest of Alain Lavallée in October 2021.
The accused admitted to having sexually assaulted a young neighbor, also in foster care, and who had denounced the actions at the time.
“An intervention by the [Direction de la protection de la jeunesse] had taken place due to this event, but after the meetings to report the facts, there was no follow-up,” we can read.
In the 1990s, he also sexually assaulted a relative, whose exact link cannot be specified so as not to reveal his identity, and a 13-year-old girl at his chalet in Lanaudière.
Alain Lavallée will return to court next April before Judge Bruno Leclerc for further proceedings.
What should you do if a child reveals to you that they have been sexually assaulted?
- Listen carefully to the child and avoid asking him questions so as not to influence his words
- Note in writing his verbalizations and the context in which he confided
- Do not promise to keep it secret and tell him that you will have to talk to people responsible for ensuring the safety of the children
- Report the situation immediately to the Youth Protection Department, even if it is only a matter of suspicion. It is possible to contact their confidential line 24 hours a day.
Source: Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center