A Montrealer will have to serve a four-year prison sentence for hiding a young girl in Haiti just months after the deadly earthquake in order to protect a member of his entourage suspected of having sexually assaulted her.
“Because of you, I lost four and a half years of my life. During these four painful years, I had no contact with the school or with a normal family; on the contrary, I had a family who treated me like a servant, who beat me when they wanted,” according to the letter from the victim, whose identity is protected by the court, which she read during the trial. held in the summer of 2018.
Annestor Paul, now 66, appealed the decision of Judge Mylène Grégoire, who sentenced him that year to four years in prison for obstructing justice. A few days ago, the Court of Appeal rejected his request, ordering him to surrender to the prison authorities to serve his sentence.
Stratagem
When she was 9 years old, the girl was sexually assaulted by a man. When she finally had the courage to report the crime, a criminal investigation was opened by the Montreal Police Department. While the case had just been submitted to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) for evaluation, Annestor Paul set up a strategy in the summer of 2010 to keep him away as much as possible in order to protect the suspect. In other words, the absence of the complainant made the legal process almost impossible.
“[…] the accused informs [la jeune fille] that he brings her to visit her biological mother, who lives in the United States. As she does not know her and has never seen her again, [elle] is delighted with the project”, can we read in the judgment of the Court of Quebec.
But in reality, Paul instead took her to a commune in Haiti where living conditions were miserable due to the natural disaster that had occurred seven months earlier. He left her with people who were totally unknown to him.
“[…] my health was affected; I fell very ill. To be honest, I was sick almost every day, reveals the victim’s letter. I had typhoid, malaria, and I was also anemic, because I received no medical care.[l]. […] I was raped and when it happened I wanted to die because it brought me back to thinking about other sexual assaults I have experienced […]»
Without paper
With a lot of determination and having no identity papers, the young girl presented herself to the Canadian Embassy in Haiti in 2014, where after investigation, we organized her repatriation to Quebec. She was then able to contact the authorities and explain her whole story. Annestor Paul was therefore arrested, as well as the man who allegedly sexually assaulted the young girl.
EXTRACTS:
“The defendant acted out of sheer selfishness, having chosen to protect [l’homme] rather than [la jeune fille].”
– Judge Mylène Grégoire, Court of Quebec
“To better conceptualize, it is essential to remember the earthquake that occurred on January 12, 2010, a few months before the arrival of [la jeune fille], which caused hundreds of thousands of deaths, destroyed many buildings, caused major health problems, requiring the assistance of rescuers from all over the world. In this sense, the accused’s detachment and indifference to the fate of [la jeune fille] turn out to be inconceivably wicked and cruel.”
– Judge Mylène Grégoire, Court of Quebec
“The devious scheme of the accused, premeditated and executed with care, will have, all in all, worked over a very long period […]. Indeed, it will have taken nearly four years after the report of [la jeune fille] for charges to be brought against [l’homme] and ten years before she could testify in connection with this case. The actions of the accused, who are largely responsible for these delays, inevitably constitute a form of denial of justice.”
– Judge Mylène Grégoire, Court of Quebec
“Even taking into consideration the age of [la jeune fille] at the time of the events of 2010, the Tribunal notes that she had an excellent memory and a very good sense of observation. Demonstrating honesty and transparency, [la jeune fille] testified calmly, with confidence and with the constant concern to properly inform the Tribunal.”
– Judge Jacques J. Lévesque, Court of Appeal
“Every morning I would wake up and go to the door to watch the other children take to the streets to go to school and each time for me it was like being stabbed in the heart. , because I kept thinking about the education I had when I was here and now I don’t have it. [plus].”
– Extract from the victim’s letter