(Quebec) The death of former publisher Michel Brûlé in troubled circumstances in Brazil, while he was awaiting a sentence for sexual assault, has finally been recognized by the court.
The 56-year-old man died last May. But the Crown has been slow to acknowledge the death until now.
However, the prosecution filed on Tuesday at the Quebec City courthouse five official documents translated from Portuguese which prove his death, such as his death certificate and the corpse identification report. The body’s fingerprints were also compared to those in Mr. Brûlé’s file. They agree.
“I am announcing the stay of proceedings,” ruled Judge Sébastien Proulx.
The founder of the Les Intouchables publishing house was convicted of sexual assault in October 2020. He left to live with his brother in Brazil in December of the same year.
Then, on May 26, Mr. Brûlé did not appear at a hearing on the sentence. He explained that he was unable to connect to a video conference. The court issued an arrest warrant.
Five days later, drama: the man dies in a bicycle accident.
A traumatic evening
The facts date back to March 2014. The victim came to Brûlé’s office to discuss a literary project. The publishing house, Les Intouchables, was in its basement.
The editor invites him to go up to his house where he starts cooking spaghetti and offers him wine. Mr. Brûlé then begins to shave his beard and invites him to take a shower. She refuses and reminds him that she is there for her manuscript.
The man then begins to kiss her and touch her all over her body. She objected and said “no” several times. “The accused is taller than her and stronger. She fled, ”said the judge, recalling the victim’s testimony.
“I will publish you, I will publish you,” the publisher would then have shouted at the fleeing complainant.
Brûlé had argued in court that the woman had sent him several signals interpreted by him as an invitation. He had said he could “read desire” in her eyes.
The judge did not believe this version. He also recalled that she had never given her consent. Relatives of the victim testified how traumatized she had been by the evening.