A teacher at an elementary school in Montreal-North admitted to having sexually assaulted five girls and young teenagers over a period of several years. A true sexual predator, Dominic Blanchette wove his web around his victims from an early age.
The courtroom at the Montreal courthouse was packed Tuesday morning. Several victims and their relatives were on hand to witness Dominic Blanchette’s admission of guilt, handcuffed in the dock.
The 28-year-old pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual interference on four underage girls, possession of child pornography, computer luring and sexual exploitation. He was also summarily convicted of one count of sexual interference with a fifth victim.
The 13-page summary of the facts lifts the veil on Dominic Blanchette’s sordid modus operandi to seduce and assault his victims. From 2017 to 2022, he worked at two elementary schools, the Carignan school and the Adélard-Desrosiers school, as well as at the Tim Hortons summer camp. In this camp, Blanchette lured the little girls into her room with snacks.
Moreover, it was known in these schools that the young teacher maintained a “close” relationship with the girls and that he was “tactile” with them. He was often seen holding their hands during recess and talking to them one-on-one.
One of his victims was in the fifth grade of elementary school. Dominic Blanchette went to pick her up almost every day at the daycare to commit her assaults.
The parties do not agree on the sentence to be imposed in this case. The judge thus requested the preparation of a pre-sentence report and a sexological expertise to enlighten the court.