Ousted MP Harold LeBel’s “sincere regrets” and his introspection during the 8 weeks spent in prison finally earned him his release from prison, even though he had been sentenced to 8 months in prison in January.
“You express sincere regret and show empathy towards the victim. In detention, you showed yourselves repentant”, indicates the Quebec Commission of the conditional releases in its recent decision concerning the ex-MP.
It’s that LeBel, 60, no longer denies having committed a sexual assault on a young woman in October 2017. That evening, he had given his victim a “night of hell” who considered him a friend. .
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While she was passing through Rimouski and he was hosting her at his home, LeBel kissed her and undid her bra. Then, as she lay in bed, the ousted MP joined her in the Murphy bed to touch and pet her before inserting a finger into her anus.
“It was absolutely endless. […] I told myself that he was going to stop, that he was going to fall asleep, but it continued, ”the woman had testified to the jury.
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Consent
LeBel had always denied the assault, but his time behind bars seems to have opened his eyes to the fact that he had “not handled well” the situation.
“You acted without any consideration for the victim, who showed no consent to the actions you took,” retorted the Commission. You forced yourself on her and defied her will. »
The attacker then explained that behind his confidence at work was “a state of weariness”, with alcohol consumption as an “exhaust” for his problems.
“Fear of abandonment, rejection, disappointment, as well as loneliness, are recurring themes within your speech,” noted the curators.
Favorable reports
But as LeBel seems to have progressed and that the reports concerning him are “unanimously favorable”, the Commission granted him the right to leave the prison, in order to promote his social reintegration. However, he will have to live in a halfway house and undergo therapy until April 16.
And since it appears that alcohol played a role in the sexual assault he committed, he will be prohibited from consuming it. He must also refrain from any contact with the victim, whose identity cannot be revealed by order of the court.