(Montreal) A spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec in Gaspésie is suspected of having committed acts of a sexual nature on a minor. Claude Doiron appeared Monday morning at the Percé courthouse.
According to the indictment, a copy of which was obtained by The Canadian Press, Sergeant Doiron, 60, allegedly “for a sexual purpose touched a part of the body of AB, a child under the age of 14 » between the 1er May and September 30, 1988.
During this same period, he would also have incited his victim to touch him, in addition to sexually assaulting him.
The offenses would have occurred in the municipality of Cloridorme, in Gaspésie.
At the time of the alleged events, the victim was 12 years old. Mr. Doiron was 25 years old.
A publication ban was issued by the judge to protect the identity of the victim, who is referred to by the initials AB in the indictment.
Mr. Doiron’s lawyer, Mr.e Jean-François Boucher, indicated that during the appearance of his client, he did not register any plea and that the choice of mode of trial was reserved.
The case will be back in court at the end of September. Until then, M.e Boucher will take cognizance of the evidence accumulated against the police officer.
The Crown is represented by Mr.e Louis-Philippe Desjardins.
Claude Doiron was not yet employed by the Sûreté du Québec at the time of the facts which earned him charges 35 years later.
With 20 years of experience as a police officer in the provincial police force, Mr. Doiron became spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec for the Gaspésie and Est-du-Québec region. in 2012. As such, he was regularly called upon to appear in the media at various events.
He was due to retire in the next few days, The Canadian Press was able to confirm.
His colleague in SQ media relations, Sergeant Ann Mathieu, indicated that the situation is not encouraging.
“We are very sensitive to the fact that there is a victim behind these indictments and that we must also take care of it. We will let the legal process take its course, ”she said.