PQ member Harold LeBel removed from caucus after ‘very serious’ sex assault complaint
MONTREAL — A Parti Quebecois member of the legislature has been dumped by his party after he was arrested Tuesday in connection with an allegation of sexual…
PQ member Harold LeBel removed from caucus after ‘very serious’ sex assault complaint
- Thread starter spaminator
- Start date
So I guess he is already been pronounced guilty by the media and the party. Saving taxpayers the cost of a trial.
MNA Harold Lebel went from friend to monster in a second, woman tells jury
The prosecutor asks the jury to have no preconceptions of how a victim acts "before, during or after a sexual assault."
Author of the article
aul Cherry • Montreal Gazette
Publishing date:Nov 08, 2022 • 1 day ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation
Former PQ MNA Harold Lebel is on trial in Rimouski.
Former PQ MNA Harold Lebel is on trial in Rimouski.
The woman who alleges former Quebec MNA Harold Lebel sexually assaulted her while she was a guest in his home five years ago told a jury on Tuesday he went from being a friend to a monster very quickly.
The young woman, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, took the witness stand in Lebel’s trial at the Rimouski courthouse and described going through a night she believed “would never come to an end” inside his condo in Rimouski in 2017.
Because of the publication ban, details on how the woman, who is from the Greater Montreal area, and her friend ended up staying at Lebel’s residence cannot be published. She said she knew the politician for a long time and came to know him as a friend who had previously never shown any signs he was attracted to her.
She said she and her friend had spent the previous night at Lebel’s home without incident. But, on the night in question, everything changed dramatically after her friend called it a night and headed to a bedroom.
After a couple of gin and tonics, the woman said, Lebel suddenly stopped talking about politics and said he felt depressed over his recent separation from his wife.
“Harold asked me: ‘what is your type of guy?’ I was really in a mode where I wanted to laugh. So I confided in him that when I was a teenager I tripped out over the Montreal Canadiens, that I loved hockey players and Sheldon Souray,” she said. “We really laughed at that.
“At that point, there was nothing bizarre.”
Moments later, while they were seated at a table, she recalled, he placed his hands on her thighs and tried to hug her.
“I was very surprised. Before that, I had never sensed that kind of relationship,” she said. “I pulled back and said: ‘Look, I’m very tired. I’m going to take a shower and go to sleep’.”
She said that as she headed to take her shower Lebel followed her and asked her to return to the table so they could continue their conversation. But as she headed to the table, she said, Lebel ran his hand along her back and undid her bra.
“I repeated again that I didn’t want to,” the woman said, adding she went into the bathroom and Lebel tried to follow her inside. “At that moment I was completely in shock, inside the bathroom. I didn’t understand what I was going through. Seconds before, he was my friend and suddenly he was completely different. I found it very aggressive of him to try to get into the bathroom.”
The woman said she managed to lock the door and texted her friend, who was asleep in the condo, telling her that Lebel was acting strangely. When she sensed Lebel had moved away from the bathroom door she took her shower and got into a bed set up in his living room.
She said she was relieved to hear Lebel take a shower after her. But that relief turned to dread when Lebel returned to the living room and asked: “Can I at least sleep next to you?”
She said she agreed to let him get in the bed with her out of a fear that he would no longer want to be her friend. She also said she figured he had “received the message” when he stopped trying to get inside the bathroom with her.
She also told the jury it didn’t take long before Lebel was running her hands over her buttocks and other parts of her body. At one point, she said, Lebel tried to force his fingers inside her anus.
“It was absolutely interminable,” she said. “I used all of my body to not move, not even an inch. I felt very vulnerable to be in a position like that.
“I was worried he would do other things.”
When Lebel finally rose from the bed and left, she said, her friend emerged from the other room after having seen the text messages she sent from the bathroom.
She described the mood in the condo the following morning as “glacial” and that “no one spoke” as Lebel gave the two women a short lift afterwards.
The complainant will resume her testimony on Wednesday.
In her opening statement to the jury, prosecutor Manon Gaudreault asked the jury to have no preconceptions of how a victim of a sexual assault acts “before, during or after a sexual assault.”
The case is being heard at a newly constructed courthouse in Rimouski, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region.
“He transgressed the limits of their friendship,” the prosecutor said. “You will quickly understand the situation (the complainant) found herself in. You will see why she tried to pretend that it didn’t happen. She tried to sweep it away from her memories, but without success.”
The prosecutor said the trial will show Lebel’s actions involved “a large spectrum of gestures that were made in a sexual context” and some evidence will be in the form of “written communications that were exchanged.”
LeBel, 60, was elected to the National Assembly in 2014 as a member of the Parti Québécois and won a second term in 2018. He sat as an independent after he was charged. He chose not run as a candidate in the election held on Oct. 3 after learning the trial would take place after election day.
pcherry@postmedia.com
torontosun.com
The prosecutor asks the jury to have no preconceptions of how a victim acts "before, during or after a sexual assault."
Author of the article
aul Cherry • Montreal GazettePublishing date:Nov 08, 2022 • 1 day ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation
Former PQ MNA Harold Lebel is on trial in Rimouski.
Former PQ MNA Harold Lebel is on trial in Rimouski.
The woman who alleges former Quebec MNA Harold Lebel sexually assaulted her while she was a guest in his home five years ago told a jury on Tuesday he went from being a friend to a monster very quickly.
The young woman, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, took the witness stand in Lebel’s trial at the Rimouski courthouse and described going through a night she believed “would never come to an end” inside his condo in Rimouski in 2017.
Because of the publication ban, details on how the woman, who is from the Greater Montreal area, and her friend ended up staying at Lebel’s residence cannot be published. She said she knew the politician for a long time and came to know him as a friend who had previously never shown any signs he was attracted to her.
She said she and her friend had spent the previous night at Lebel’s home without incident. But, on the night in question, everything changed dramatically after her friend called it a night and headed to a bedroom.
After a couple of gin and tonics, the woman said, Lebel suddenly stopped talking about politics and said he felt depressed over his recent separation from his wife.
“Harold asked me: ‘what is your type of guy?’ I was really in a mode where I wanted to laugh. So I confided in him that when I was a teenager I tripped out over the Montreal Canadiens, that I loved hockey players and Sheldon Souray,” she said. “We really laughed at that.
“At that point, there was nothing bizarre.”
Moments later, while they were seated at a table, she recalled, he placed his hands on her thighs and tried to hug her.
“I was very surprised. Before that, I had never sensed that kind of relationship,” she said. “I pulled back and said: ‘Look, I’m very tired. I’m going to take a shower and go to sleep’.”
She said that as she headed to take her shower Lebel followed her and asked her to return to the table so they could continue their conversation. But as she headed to the table, she said, Lebel ran his hand along her back and undid her bra.
“I repeated again that I didn’t want to,” the woman said, adding she went into the bathroom and Lebel tried to follow her inside. “At that moment I was completely in shock, inside the bathroom. I didn’t understand what I was going through. Seconds before, he was my friend and suddenly he was completely different. I found it very aggressive of him to try to get into the bathroom.”
The woman said she managed to lock the door and texted her friend, who was asleep in the condo, telling her that Lebel was acting strangely. When she sensed Lebel had moved away from the bathroom door she took her shower and got into a bed set up in his living room.
She said she was relieved to hear Lebel take a shower after her. But that relief turned to dread when Lebel returned to the living room and asked: “Can I at least sleep next to you?”
She said she agreed to let him get in the bed with her out of a fear that he would no longer want to be her friend. She also said she figured he had “received the message” when he stopped trying to get inside the bathroom with her.
She also told the jury it didn’t take long before Lebel was running her hands over her buttocks and other parts of her body. At one point, she said, Lebel tried to force his fingers inside her anus.
“It was absolutely interminable,” she said. “I used all of my body to not move, not even an inch. I felt very vulnerable to be in a position like that.
“I was worried he would do other things.”
When Lebel finally rose from the bed and left, she said, her friend emerged from the other room after having seen the text messages she sent from the bathroom.
She described the mood in the condo the following morning as “glacial” and that “no one spoke” as Lebel gave the two women a short lift afterwards.
The complainant will resume her testimony on Wednesday.
In her opening statement to the jury, prosecutor Manon Gaudreault asked the jury to have no preconceptions of how a victim of a sexual assault acts “before, during or after a sexual assault.”
The case is being heard at a newly constructed courthouse in Rimouski, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region.
“He transgressed the limits of their friendship,” the prosecutor said. “You will quickly understand the situation (the complainant) found herself in. You will see why she tried to pretend that it didn’t happen. She tried to sweep it away from her memories, but without success.”
The prosecutor said the trial will show Lebel’s actions involved “a large spectrum of gestures that were made in a sexual context” and some evidence will be in the form of “written communications that were exchanged.”
LeBel, 60, was elected to the National Assembly in 2014 as a member of the Parti Québécois and won a second term in 2018. He sat as an independent after he was charged. He chose not run as a candidate in the election held on Oct. 3 after learning the trial would take place after election day.
pcherry@postmedia.com
MNA Harold Lebel went from friend to monster in a second, woman tells jury
The prosecutor asks the jury to have no preconceptions of how a victim acts "before, during or after a sexual assault."
Woman says ex-PQ leader's arrest helped her come forward against LeBel
Harold LeBel is alleged to have sexually assaulted the young woman while she was a guest at his condo in October 2017
Author of the articleaul Cherry • Montreal Gazette
Publishing date:Nov 09, 2022 • 20 hours ago • 3 minute read • Join the conversation
Harold LeBel, 60, is on trial for sexual assault before a jury in Rimouski.
Harold LeBel, 60, is on trial for sexual assault before a jury in Rimouski.
The woman who says she was sexually assaulted by Harold LeBel while he was a member of the National Assembly testified on Wednesday that the arrest of former Parti Québécois leader André Boisclair influenced her decision to file a complaint with police.
LeBel, 60, is on trial before a jury in Rimouski. He is alleged to have sexually assaulted the young woman while she was a guest at his condo in October 2017 and he was a PQ MNA. He was charged in 2020.
During the second day of her testimony, the complainant said she held back on filing a complaint with the Sûreté du Québec for a few reasons. A standard publication ban has been placed on the woman’s name and details that would go toward identifying her. Because of the ban, some of her stated reasons for hesitating to file a complaint cannot be reported.
“He had an excellent reputation. Everybody liked him,” the woman said as one reason why she didn’t call the police right away. “I decided to put it aside.
“I wanted to proceed as if nothing happened.”
She said the news in May 2020 that Boisclair had been charged with sexual assault helped convince her to file her complaint with the SQ. She said she followed news reports on the arrest carefully and took note of how a publication ban had been placed on the complainant’s name. This reassured her she could remain anonymous if LeBel was to be charged.
She said she also took note of how the Quebec government offered support for the victims of sexual assault.
When prosecutor Manon Gaudreault asked the woman to describe how she felt about Boisclair’s case, defence lawyer Maxime Roy objected to the question, arguing the two cases have nothing to do with each other.
Superior Court Justice Serge Francoeur agreed with the objection, ruling the woman’s answer might taint the jury.
Gaudreault asked the woman to repeat her version of what occurred on the night of the alleged assault.
The woman said that after they had talked politics, the conversation got personal. She said he told her he was depressed over being separated from his spouse, and expressed worry about how the PQ would fare in the 2018 election.
At one point during the conversation, she said, LeBel touched her thighs and kissed her on the lips. After she got up from the table they were seated at, he ran his hand along her back and undid her bra. She said she told LeBel she wasn’t interested and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. She said LeBel then became aggressive and tried to enter the bathroom.
Eventually he walked away from the bathroom door, she said, and she took a shower and got into a bed set up in LeBel’s bedroom. She told the jury that as she tried to fall asleep LeBel asked if he could “at least” sleep next to her. He climbed into the bed and, within 10 minutes, began touching her buttocks. She said he tried to force his fingers inside her anus and forced one finger in slightly. She said the abuse continued for hours while LeBel “didn’t say a word” and she didn’t sleep all night.
The woman was cross-examined Wednesday afternoon by Roy. Many of his questions, and the woman’s answers to them, cannot be published due to the publication ban, but Roy also asked questions about the alleged offence.
“Can I suggest that your memory of what happened the night of (Oct. 20-21) is inexact?” Roy asked.
“I don’t think it is inexact,” she replied.
“The only thing that really happened was that Mr. LeBel fell asleep and the following morning you woke up stuck together,” the lawyer suggested.
“Absolutely not,” the woman replied.
The trial will continue on Thursday.
pcherry@postmedia.com
torontosun.com
Harold LeBel is alleged to have sexually assaulted the young woman while she was a guest at his condo in October 2017
Author of the article
aul Cherry • Montreal GazettePublishing date:Nov 09, 2022 • 20 hours ago • 3 minute read • Join the conversation
Harold LeBel, 60, is on trial for sexual assault before a jury in Rimouski.
Harold LeBel, 60, is on trial for sexual assault before a jury in Rimouski.
The woman who says she was sexually assaulted by Harold LeBel while he was a member of the National Assembly testified on Wednesday that the arrest of former Parti Québécois leader André Boisclair influenced her decision to file a complaint with police.
LeBel, 60, is on trial before a jury in Rimouski. He is alleged to have sexually assaulted the young woman while she was a guest at his condo in October 2017 and he was a PQ MNA. He was charged in 2020.
During the second day of her testimony, the complainant said she held back on filing a complaint with the Sûreté du Québec for a few reasons. A standard publication ban has been placed on the woman’s name and details that would go toward identifying her. Because of the ban, some of her stated reasons for hesitating to file a complaint cannot be reported.
“He had an excellent reputation. Everybody liked him,” the woman said as one reason why she didn’t call the police right away. “I decided to put it aside.
“I wanted to proceed as if nothing happened.”
She said the news in May 2020 that Boisclair had been charged with sexual assault helped convince her to file her complaint with the SQ. She said she followed news reports on the arrest carefully and took note of how a publication ban had been placed on the complainant’s name. This reassured her she could remain anonymous if LeBel was to be charged.
She said she also took note of how the Quebec government offered support for the victims of sexual assault.
When prosecutor Manon Gaudreault asked the woman to describe how she felt about Boisclair’s case, defence lawyer Maxime Roy objected to the question, arguing the two cases have nothing to do with each other.
Superior Court Justice Serge Francoeur agreed with the objection, ruling the woman’s answer might taint the jury.
Gaudreault asked the woman to repeat her version of what occurred on the night of the alleged assault.
The woman said that after they had talked politics, the conversation got personal. She said he told her he was depressed over being separated from his spouse, and expressed worry about how the PQ would fare in the 2018 election.
At one point during the conversation, she said, LeBel touched her thighs and kissed her on the lips. After she got up from the table they were seated at, he ran his hand along her back and undid her bra. She said she told LeBel she wasn’t interested and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. She said LeBel then became aggressive and tried to enter the bathroom.
Eventually he walked away from the bathroom door, she said, and she took a shower and got into a bed set up in LeBel’s bedroom. She told the jury that as she tried to fall asleep LeBel asked if he could “at least” sleep next to her. He climbed into the bed and, within 10 minutes, began touching her buttocks. She said he tried to force his fingers inside her anus and forced one finger in slightly. She said the abuse continued for hours while LeBel “didn’t say a word” and she didn’t sleep all night.
The woman was cross-examined Wednesday afternoon by Roy. Many of his questions, and the woman’s answers to them, cannot be published due to the publication ban, but Roy also asked questions about the alleged offence.
“Can I suggest that your memory of what happened the night of (Oct. 20-21) is inexact?” Roy asked.
“I don’t think it is inexact,” she replied.
“The only thing that really happened was that Mr. LeBel fell asleep and the following morning you woke up stuck together,” the lawyer suggested.
“Absolutely not,” the woman replied.
The trial will continue on Thursday.
pcherry@postmedia.com
Woman says ex-PQ leader's arrest helped her come forward against LeBel
Harold LeBel is alleged to have sexually assaulted the young woman while she was a guest at his condo in October 2017 and he was a PQ MNA.
Former Quebec MNA Harold LeBel found guilty of sexual assault
LeBel sexually assaulted a friend in his condo in October 2017
Author of the articleaul Cherry • Montreal Gazette
Publishing date:Nov 23, 2022 • 22 hours ago • 3 minute read
Harold LeBel, the former Quebec MNA for the Rimouski riding, was found guilty Wednesday of sexually assaulting a woman who used to consider him a friend.
A jury that had been deliberating since Monday afternoon delivered the verdict at a courthouse in Rimouski, where Lebel was once a popular politician.
Quebec Superior Court Justice Serge Francoeur had LeBel, 60, stand up before the nine women and three men when juror No. 14, the last person selected to the panel, read the guilty verdict.
Before the verdict was read, LeBel appeared nervous as he waited for the judge and jury to arrive in the courtroom. He paced around a bit and adjusted his tie as he looked toward the audience section of the courtroom.
After the verdict was delivered, Francoeur thanked the jury for their work and reminded them that a jury’s deliberations in Canada are considered secret.
The complainant in the case, a young woman whose identity is protected by a publication ban, testified that she was friends with LeBel before she was sexually assaulted.
She told the jury that she and a friend visited LeBel during October 2017 and stayed at his condo in Rimouski for a two-day visit. She said nothing happened during the first day of her stay at the condo. During a conversation over a few gin and tonics the second night, she said, LeBel placed his hands on her thighs and kissed her. She said she pulled away and left the table where they were seated.
She testified that LeBel convinced her to resume their conversation, but he also ran his hand along her back and unhooked her bra. Later that night, the woman said, she got into a bed set up in LeBel’s living room. He then asked her if he could “at least” lie down next to her. But minutes after he got into the bed, he groped her and tried to insert his fingers in her anus.
LeBel testified in his defence and denied that he sexually assaulted the woman. He said the one thing he regretted was getting into the same bed as the woman. He said the only thing that happened was that they woke up “stuck together.”
“It is a shock for everyone,” defence lawyer Maxime Roy said when Francoeur asked the lawyers in the case for their thoughts on how to proceed toward a sentence. “In the coming days, we will do our homework, we will look at the jurisprudence and we will talk to (the prosecution).”
Francoeur suggested the possibility of requesting a pre-sentencing report. It is a step normally used when the person convicted has very little or nothing in terms of a criminal background. Experts are asked to provide a profile of the person before the sentence is determined.
Another option available is a joint recommendation on a sentence, the judge said.
The case will return to court on Dec. 6 to set future dates for the sentencing stage of LeBel’s case.
LeBel was first elected to the Quebec legislature as a candidate for the Parti Québécois in 2014. He was re-elected in 2018, but he sat as an independent following his arrest in December 2020 and he did not run in the most recent election held on Oct. 3.
pcherry@postmedia.com
torontosun.com
LeBel sexually assaulted a friend in his condo in October 2017
Author of the article
aul Cherry • Montreal GazettePublishing date:Nov 23, 2022 • 22 hours ago • 3 minute read
Harold LeBel, the former Quebec MNA for the Rimouski riding, was found guilty Wednesday of sexually assaulting a woman who used to consider him a friend.
A jury that had been deliberating since Monday afternoon delivered the verdict at a courthouse in Rimouski, where Lebel was once a popular politician.
Quebec Superior Court Justice Serge Francoeur had LeBel, 60, stand up before the nine women and three men when juror No. 14, the last person selected to the panel, read the guilty verdict.
Before the verdict was read, LeBel appeared nervous as he waited for the judge and jury to arrive in the courtroom. He paced around a bit and adjusted his tie as he looked toward the audience section of the courtroom.
After the verdict was delivered, Francoeur thanked the jury for their work and reminded them that a jury’s deliberations in Canada are considered secret.
The complainant in the case, a young woman whose identity is protected by a publication ban, testified that she was friends with LeBel before she was sexually assaulted.
She told the jury that she and a friend visited LeBel during October 2017 and stayed at his condo in Rimouski for a two-day visit. She said nothing happened during the first day of her stay at the condo. During a conversation over a few gin and tonics the second night, she said, LeBel placed his hands on her thighs and kissed her. She said she pulled away and left the table where they were seated.
She testified that LeBel convinced her to resume their conversation, but he also ran his hand along her back and unhooked her bra. Later that night, the woman said, she got into a bed set up in LeBel’s living room. He then asked her if he could “at least” lie down next to her. But minutes after he got into the bed, he groped her and tried to insert his fingers in her anus.
LeBel testified in his defence and denied that he sexually assaulted the woman. He said the one thing he regretted was getting into the same bed as the woman. He said the only thing that happened was that they woke up “stuck together.”
“It is a shock for everyone,” defence lawyer Maxime Roy said when Francoeur asked the lawyers in the case for their thoughts on how to proceed toward a sentence. “In the coming days, we will do our homework, we will look at the jurisprudence and we will talk to (the prosecution).”
Francoeur suggested the possibility of requesting a pre-sentencing report. It is a step normally used when the person convicted has very little or nothing in terms of a criminal background. Experts are asked to provide a profile of the person before the sentence is determined.
Another option available is a joint recommendation on a sentence, the judge said.
The case will return to court on Dec. 6 to set future dates for the sentencing stage of LeBel’s case.
LeBel was first elected to the Quebec legislature as a candidate for the Parti Québécois in 2014. He was re-elected in 2018, but he sat as an independent following his arrest in December 2020 and he did not run in the most recent election held on Oct. 3.
pcherry@postmedia.com
Former Quebec MNA Harold LeBel found guilty of sexual assault
The former politician was a sitting member of the Quebec legislature when he sexually assaulted a friend in his condo in October 2017.