A Montreal elementary school teacher has pleaded guilty to multiple sex crimes involving five young girls.
Dominic Blanchette pleaded guilty on Tuesday to eight counts, including sexual interference, possession of child pornography, child luring and sexual exploitation.
His crimes took place between September 2017 and May 2022, when he was arrested.
Court documents say Mr. Blanchette, 28, who taught in the Montreal North borough, used his influence as a teacher and basketball coach to coax and sexually exploit a total of five girls fifth and sixth grade.
Explicit exchanges
It was the mother of one of the victims who discovered the pot of roses when she found, on her daughter’s electronic tablet, an intimate conversation on Snapchat in which the accused described a sexual fantasy involving him, the young victim. and one of her classmates. Intimate photos of a naked adult man photographing himself in a bathroom mirror were also found in the electronic device.
The lady then recognized her daughter’s teacher, whom she had met a few times during parent meetings at school.
She later confronted Mr. Blanchette, who initially denied having an affair with his student or having a Snapchat account. He allegedly attributed the account of the fantasy to another student and claimed that his selfie had been stolen by the student, which deterred the mother from pressing charges.
In the following days, Mr. Blanchette and his student nevertheless continued their sexual exchanges, which ended up in the text messaging of one of the mother’s cell phones.
This time the lady reported the teacher to the police.
During his arrest and interrogation in May 2022, Dominic Blanchette acknowledged certain facts and expressed remorse. He took full responsibility for the relationship with the victim and expressed fears about the consequences of his actions, both for him and for the girl.
However, he said he only had one victim.
Touching during a camp
During the investigation, the police learned that Dominic Blanchette had very close ties with his female students, with whom he communicated via various digital platforms.
These exchanges, initially harmless, ended up taking a romantic and sexual turn. Exchanges of intimate photos were made on both sides.
The investigation also revealed that the professor brought several of his charges to the restaurant at dinnertime, took them out of daycare at the end of the day and spent time alone with them.
Several victims testified to having been touched on the breasts, buttocks or neck by Dominic Blanchette. Many episodes took place during a camp organized by the school, in the context of which Mr. Blanchette was a supervisor.
To one of his victims, who tried to distance himself from him, the accused told him “that she would have his death on her conscience”.
Pre-sentence report to come
In June 2022, after a second wave of complaints, the accused told the investigator that he had trouble sleeping thinking about what he had done. He said he had a “plan to find which prison had the best therapy”.
The case will return to court in July for a sentencing hearing, at which his victims will testify.
The prosecution, represented by Mr.e Annabelle Sheppard, requested that in the meantime, a probation officer produce a pre-sentence report on the accused, as well as a sexological evaluation.
The accused is represented by Mr.e Lawrence July.
This dispatch was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta Exchange and The Canadian Press for the news.
If you are a victim of sexual violence, you can contact a center for assistance and the fight against sexual assault (CALACS) near you. Click here to see the list or call the Sexual Violence Info-aid line at 1 888 933-9007.