The university researcher found guilty of having ruined the life of her ex-lover by falsely accusing him of being a violent sexual aggressor will spend a year behind bars.
• Read also: Guilty of harassing her ex-lover: a former researcher faces two years in prison
• Read also: Guilty of having ruined the life of an ex
“We must not underestimate the power of words, which can become a weapon and wreak havoc in the life of a victim. The accused worked hard to destroy the reputation of [la victime]. […] She has considerably harmed her health and her physical and psychological well-being, all of this, only with the force of words, ”said Judge Hélène Di Salvo on Friday, in rendering her sentence against Ann Letellier at the Sorel courthouse.
The renowned researcher in her community had assured the members of the jury during her trial that she was rather the victim and that she had decided to denounce her “aggressor” because of the #MeToo movement.
For several days, the jurors were immersed in the lovers’ sexual intimacy.
Photo taken from Facebook
Ann Letellier
With great embarrassment, the plaintiff had to recount in great detail the antics sometimes involving objects, such as handcuffs or fruits and vegetables.
At the end of the trial, the jury found her guilty of harassment and extortion.
In her decision on Friday, the magistrate completely dismissed out of hand Letellier’s allegations that she was “raped, abused and sexually assaulted”, to the point of suffering “serious bodily harm”.
“The accused was never the victim of sexual assault. […] It appears from the evidence at trial that they had sadomasochistic sexual relations, which were somewhat marginal,” judge Di Salvo said.
The magistrate listed several contradictions in Letellier’s testimony, saying she did not give him any credibility.
Immeasurable Relentlessness
Ann Letellier had sent emails to more than thirty people in the entourage of her ex-lover, as well as to the Minister of Higher Education, saying that she had been the victim of numerous violent abuses and asking to “share in large number “.
She had also sent a letter to the victim stating that she had two firearms and that she was skilled in using them. In a threatening tone, she demanded an “amount” to repair her suffering.
“The defendant’s stubbornness towards [la victime] is immeasurable […]. We can only remember that she acted out of a spirit of revenge, deeply affected by the break-up of her relationship which had existed for 20 years, driven by frustration, bitterness, anger and pain,” judge Di determined. Salvo.
Referring to “planned, premeditated, repetitive gestures”, she recalled that the whole had had “significant and devastating effects” on this man, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban.
The researcher was therefore sentenced to one year in prison. She is forbidden to come into contact with the victim and, upon her release, she will have to serve three years probation, as well as several conditions.
Ann Letellier appealed her guilty verdict.