A retired teacher from Saint-Hyacinthe has just been found guilty of taking advantage of physical education classes to touch the private parts of seven elementary school girls more than 40 years ago.
“For seven of the nine complainants, I am convinced beyond all reasonable doubt of her guilt,” judge Christian Jarry ruled Monday morning at the Saint-Hyacinthe courthouse.
Gilles Robineau, now 72 years old, was found guilty of various counts of sexual assault, sexual contact and indecent assault on students at the time.
A sigh of relief was heard in the courtroom, filled with victims and their loved ones.
The girls were less than 10 years old when Robineau was their physical education teacher in an elementary school in Saint-Hyacinthe. Their identities are protected by court order.
“He tucked his fingers between my buttocks and the leotard as if to replace it. It went further afterwards,” testified a student, who was attacked during a gymnastics class after school.
In 1981, two third-year students reported Robineau to the administration of their school, mentioning the touching of their breasts to which they had been victims.
The physical education teacher was able to keep his job after apologizing. He then had to “take measures not to do it again,” we can read in the 50-page judgment.
More details will follow…