A newcomer who sexually assaulted his own daughter in a Montreal hotel could face the minimum sentence of five years in prison because of his past as a child soldier.
“He had a terrible childhood, as a child soldier. At the age of 8, he was captured by the rebels and was separated from his parents,” his lawyer Ms.e Marie-Hélène Giroux, at the Montreal courthouse.
The 38-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of incest last March at the Montreal courthouse. He cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, his 16-year-old daughter.
The man from West Africa arrived in the country with his family as refugees in the spring of 2022. While they were staying in the government at a hotel in Montreal, the man sexually assaulted his daughter at minus one repeat.
“It’s not clear how many times this has happened in Canada. But [la victime] mentions that it happened often when they were in Mexico, “said the Crown prosecutor, Me Jérôme Laflamme, last March.
After his arrest, the man confessed everything to the police. He repeated that he had a “very strong sexual drive”.
“He tells the police that he needs to have sex, that it’s hard to control himself. He felt like a demonic spirit had taken over,” the prosecutor said.
During sentencing submissions on Thursday, the lawyers offered a joint suggested sentence of five years in prison, the minimum sentence for incest. The judge was inclined to follow the suggestion.
This recommendation takes into account the offender’s “low” risk of recidivism, but also his past as a child soldier. “Without these circumstances, it might not be the suggested sentence,” said Crown prosecutor Me Jérôme Laflamme.
The victim’s mother read a brief letter in court Thursday saying she had forgiven the defendant for his crimes.
Judge Pierre E. Labelle will render his decision next week. “It’s not something that can be rubber-stamped (automatically approved),” he concluded.