A janitor at a Montreal high school thought he was giving away a 10-year-old girl for $100. However, he rather fell into the trap of a “pedophile hunter”. The predator also had an astronomical quantity of extremely scandalous images of child pornography.
What there is to know
- Gabriel Corbeil-Thériault pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, luring and inciting sexual contact.
- He was a janitor at Eulalie-Durocher secondary school at the time of the events.
- He wanted to have sexual contact with a 10-year-old girl at his workplace.
- He held tens of thousands of extremely scandalous child pornography images.
Gabriel Corbeil-Thériault pleaded guilty Thursday at the Montreal courthouse to counts of possession of child pornography, computer luring and inciting a minor to sexual contact.
The 28-year-old Montrealer was working as a janitor at Eulalie-Durocher high school, located near the Olympic Stadium, at the time of the incident. His indictment in March 2022 was, surprisingly, never publicized by the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM).
A spokesperson for the Montreal school service center told The Press that Corbeil-Thériault no longer worked for the CSSDM, but did not give more details on the accused’s period of employment.
The police discovered no less than 100,000 files on Gabriel Corbeil-Thériault’s computer. These images showing newborns as well as adolescent girls are of a horror rarely seen.
Sexual assaults of almost unimaginable monstrosity. Scenes of bestiality. Children in cages.
“ [Du contenu] particularly shocking, scabrous and odious,” summarized the Crown prosecutor, Mr.e Charles Doucet, who intends to request a penitentiary sentence, therefore at least two years of detention.
Improvised pedophile hunter
If Gabriel Corbeil-Thériault got caught, it was thanks to a citizen who somehow improvised himself as a “pedophile hunter”. Under the pseudonym “Fred Gagnon”, the citizen delivered the results of his investigation to the City of Montreal Police Department on the police force’s Facebook page.
“Fred Gagnon” meets Gabriel Corbeil-Thériault on a platform known for the storage of child pornography images. The suspect told him he liked little girls aged 10-12. They then start chatting on Wickr, an encrypted messaging application.
The hunter invents a 10-year-old niece, named Vanessa, to lure his prey. He asks the pedophile for $100 to “meet” the little girl. A meeting is scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. in the Eulalie-Durocher school parking lot.
It was on this day that “Fred Gagnon” contacted the SPVM.
When the investigator takes over the file, she advises “Fred Gagnon” not to communicate with the suspect anymore. The meeting with the false niece is then postponed. Gabriel Corbeil-Thériault is very disappointed.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Eulalie-Durocher secondary school, in Montreal
“You don’t own it?? I was so looking forward to seeing her seriously. I will you have a little gift for the wait I had today. If you want of course ? », writes the pedophile.
Gabriel Corbeil-Thériault then suggests to his interlocutor – a double agent – to bring Vanessa to her “job”. “I’m so excited, yes. […] Do you have many girls to [la] house that would be available? », inquires the predator.
Fictitious profile
The police create Vanessa’s fictitious profile to communicate with Gabriel Corbeil-Thériault. The predator starts by asking her about her dreams and her favorite shows, then asks her about her body and what she likes to do. He also discusses with her his participation in the show Autism, love and friendship.
In his exchanges with “Vanessa”, Gabriel Corbeil-Thériault gets straight to the point. He invites the little girl to his workplace, as he is “alone” from 5 p.m. He wants to “disturb” her and “teach her about sex”. “I’ll teach you.” I will make you experience it,” he wrote, detailing gestures of a sexual nature.
Gabriel Corbeil-Thériault ensures that her age is not a problem for the little girl. “ [J’ai] 26 and you have 10. I don’t want that to stop you from talking to me,” he wrote.
“Is this conversation discreet enough not to get me into trouble?” I had this in February and lost a profile I had for 10 years. It pisses me off,” the accused wrote to the fake little girl.
It turns out that Gabriel Corbeil-Thériault was targeted on three occasions by denunciations regarding child pornography between 2017 and 2019, without ever being accused. An investigator even contacted him twice in 2020 to advise him that sharing such images was illegal. The suspect then appeared to blame his autism. It is unknown whether he was working at a secondary school at this time.
A pre-sentence report with a neuropsychological component was requested by the defense. The case will return to court next April.