The complainant at the trial of Major General Dany Fortin, accused of sexual assault, told her version of the facts on Monday morning at the Gatineau courthouse.
Questioned by the Crown at the opening of the trial, the complainant specified that she and Mr. Fortin both attended the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu military college at the beginning of 1988.
She then recounted that one night, in the barracks, she woke up and felt that Mr. Fortin had taken her hand and was using it to masturbate, while he had placed his other hand on her breasts.
She told the court she was panicked and horrified when she realized the position she was in. She said that after telling the accused that she was awake, she pushed him away and whispered, “Let go of me,” and he backed off.
The complainant, who testified in English, has not yet been cross-examined by the defence.
This trial begins a little more than a year after Major General Fortin was removed from his position as head of the national vaccination campaign against COVID-19, in May 2021. Three months later, he was formally charged with one count of sexual assault.
Dany Fortin has always claimed his innocence.
He is also challenging, before the Federal Court, the way in which he was removed from his position as responsible for the vaccination campaign. As part of this procedure, he notably accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other senior government officials of having dismissed him for purely political reasons.
The Federal Court rejected his request for reinstatement last year, but Mr. Fortin is appealing this decision. His motion is due to be heard early next month.