“He was celebrating when I lost my virginity. He was happy for me,” says Victoria*. She was then 12 years old. Her tormentor wanted to show her how to be a “good wife”. The teenager gave a punchy testimony Monday at the trial of Miguel Antonio Abarzua Poblete.
The 42-year-old Montrealer is charged with sexual assault, sexual interference and incitement to sexual touching of a minor under the age of 16. His trial began Monday morning at the Montreal courthouse before Judge Pierre Labrie and 12 jurors.
In a soft voice, but with aplomb, the 16-year-old teenager recounted in great detail to the jury the extremely degrading abuse suffered for two years at the hands of this trusted man of her entourage. To protect the complainant’s identity, her exact connection to the accused must be concealed.
“What I went through was disgusting. It’s disgusting. It is unfair. My childhood was stolen from me, ”breathed the teenager, in tears. She testified in another room of the courthouse so as not to cross paths with the accused.
At only 11 years old, Victoria had to regularly perform oral sex with this man, then in his mid-thirties. Then she was coerced into having penetrative sex with him. The horror didn’t stop there: her attacker still insisted on “ending” in the child’s mouth.
It all starts with touching while playing “battle” when she was 11 years old. Later, Miguel Antonio Abarzua Poblete asks the plaintiff if she “knows what a penis is”. “I’m going to ride you, it’s for your good.” It’s so that you can be a good woman later on, ”the defendant continues, according to Victoria’s account.
Claiming to teach dance exercises to the child, the accused took the opportunity to give him cunnilingus, she confided. From now on, whenever the opportunity arises, “Miguel” takes the opportunity to attack the pre-teen girl. “I had a lot of confidence in him,” she says.
“It’s nothing, you’ll get used to it”
Victoria told the jury at length about her first sexual relationship with penetration, a particularly shocking attack that took place at the garage of Miguel Antonio Abarzua Poblete. Photos of the premises were also presented to the jury.
“He said to me: ‘Get up. He pushed me towards the table, took off my pants and underwear. He did it backwards. It hurt. I wanted him to stop. He said I was weak. He said: “It’s nothing, you’ll get used to it”. [Après], he told me to get on my knees. He ejaculated in my mouth. Made me feel dirty,” Victoria described.
On another occasion, “Miguel” assaulted her again in the garage. “He said he wanted me to have orgasms. I was 11 years old, ”said Victoria. The Crown prosecutor, Mr.e Hussein Hassan, then asked her if she had had an orgasm. “No, I didn’t have an orgasm,” she replied uneasily.
At 12, Victoria “lost her virginity”. A “shocking moment” in his life. “Miguel” tried to convince her that it was for her “good” and that it was “better” to do it with him. While Victoria complains of being in pain, the attacker hurls insults at her.
“You’re not brave. You are better than that. You’re not strong, you’re weak, ”spits the accused, says the complainant.
But when the assault ends, the accused is overjoyed and “celebrates” the loss of the child’s virginity. He then summons her to keep their “secret” until “his grave”. “I was scared,” she says. During the following months, Victoria was regularly assaulted by the accused, who asked her to learn several sexual “poses”.
It was at 13 that Victoria realized that these attacks were not “normal” and distanced herself from the accused. At 15, she reveals what she has experienced to her relatives, who encourage her to file a complaint with the police.
In cross-examination, Victoria testified that she had only one anal intercourse with the accused. The defense attorney, Mr.e Marc Labelle, then insisted on the fact that the complainant had told the police that she had suffered several.
“There was so much abuse that the first times are the ones I remember the most. I remember the most traumatic events the most, ”replied the teenager.
Me Labelle also asked the complainant a series of questions about her telephone exchanges with the accused before reporting to the police. “Did you ask for money?” », « Did you talk about money? “, “Did you talk about a cosmetic surgery for you? »
“No,” Victoria replied each time.
Me Hussein Hassan and M.e Nadine Haviernick represent the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions, while Me Marc Labelle and M.e Claudia Doyle defend the accused
*fictitious name