Former boxer Ali Nestor was acquitted on Monday morning of sexual assault and assault charges that were brought against him last year. The complainant informed the judge that she no longer wished to become involved in the legal proceedings.
Without his testimony, the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) no longer has “sufficient evidence to present” to lead to a conviction, said his spokesperson, Mr.e Audrey Roy-Cloutier.
Judge Claude Lachapelle was informed of the woman’s decision Monday morning at the Joliette courthouse.
The charges were laid against him in June 2021 for events that allegedly occurred between January 27, 2018 and December 1, 2020. Both counts related to the same complainant. A publication ban prohibits identifying him.
“It’s not because we don’t believe the complainant or that there are problems with the evidence in our case,” insisted Mr.e Roy Cloutier. It was the complainant who did not want to “remix” everything that had happened, she said.
And in such a case, the DPCP will not force the complainant to continue: “we will respect her decision”, she added, specifying that the woman was represented by a lawyer.
A former boxer and martial arts specialist, Ali Nestor founded the organization Ali et les prince*sses*s in 2002, which helps young people in vulnerable situations.
About a month before the charges were brought by the DPCP, the man had been appointed special adviser to the “Ensemble Montreal” team of Denis Coderre, who was then running for mayor of Montreal. A few hours later, Mr. Coderre had ruled him out because allegations of assault and sexual assault had surfaced.
The acquittal ends the criminal proceedings against Ali Nestor.
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