Two former Victoriaville Tigers hockey players pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexual assault on a teenage girl in June 2021 while they were celebrating a victory. The trial which was to begin this week at the Quebec courthouse will therefore not take place.
Massimo Siciliano and Nicolas Daigle, both 21 years old, are former players of this Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) team.
They had been accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl, then an employee at a hotel where the team was staying during the 2021 playoffs. The assault occurred on June 6, 2021, while the team was celebrating at the hotel after winning the President’s Cup.
Mr. Daigle also pleaded guilty to two other charges for producing and circulating a video of the victim. A 4th count initially filed was withdrawn by the Crown, confirmed its lawyer, Me Michel Lebrun.
The complainant is “relieved”, commented the Crown prosecutor, Me Michel Bérubé, on Wednesday as he left the court room. But the guilty plea was still recorded “at the last minute”, he added: she therefore had to live with the apprehension of the trial and criminal proceedings throughout this period.
The prosecutor wanted to emphasize “his resilience. »
“Through her courage, the complainant can inspire victims to denounce, regardless of the status of the aggressor, whether it is a well-known hockey player” or someone else, he declared from the palace of justice.
The case will return before Judge Thomas Jacques of the Court of Quebec on October 20 to set a date for observations on the sentence.
With The Canadian Press