(Quebec) Two former Victoriaville Tigres players accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in the hours following their victory in the President Cup final in June 2021 have pleaded guilty.
Nicolas Daigle, 21, pleaded guilty to sexual assault, producing a video recording without the victim’s knowledge and sharing the images. Massimo Siciliano, for his part, admitted his guilt to only one count, that of sexual assault.
These pleas came after lengthy discussions between Crown and defense attorneys. The two sides have not yet agreed to a joint sentencing proposal.
The two players attacked the victim on the night of June 5 to 6, 2021. A few hours earlier, the Victoriaville Tigres won their first President’s Cup in almost 20 years, against the Val-d’Or Foreurs.
The two young hockey players, who were 19 that evening, were staying in a hotel in the Quebec region with their teammates. This is where the celebrations after the victory took place.
It was also there, in a room, that the victim was attacked by the two players. The teenager, then aged 17, was a hotel employee.
On the evening of June 6, the young girl accompanied by her mother filed a complaint at a police station in the capital. The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) filed the charges four months later, in October 2021. The next day, the Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) suspended the two players for an indefinite period.
More details to come