Quebec woman who allegedly threw boiling water on 10-year-old child granted bail

A woman who allegedly threw boiling water on a 10-year-old boy on Montreal’s south shore earlier this month was granted bail Thursday.

Quebec’s Crown prosecutor’s office, known as the DPCP, confirmed Stéphanie Borel was released after a court appearance Thursday. Borel, 46, was charged with aggravated assault earlier this month in connection with the alleged attack.

The boy was injured after scalding hot water was thrown on him from a neighbour’s balcony in Longueuil, Que., on Oct. 2. He was taken to hospital where he was treated for second-degree burns to his face and upper body.

Borel was questioned and arrested the same day, later released.

The decision to release her drew public outcry, with an advocacy group accusing police of being lenient toward a woman accused of assaulting a Black child.

A few days later, police said an arrest warrant was issued by DPCP following new evidence in the case. Borel was charged on Oct. 11 and remained detained until Thursday.

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Borel was released under a number of conditions that include living with her son, and staying away from the home and school of the young victim and from a witness, whose identities are protected by a publication ban.

She told the court that since her detention, her landlord cancelled her lease and she lost her job as an orderly.

Quebec court Judge Serge Delisle ordered her release after hearing from the defence and the Crown. Her case will return before a judge on Jan. 23, 2025.

Crown prosecutor Gabriella St-Onge said they were opposed to the release of the 46-year-old.

“From our point of view, the condition suggested by the defense, we’re not satisfying for us regarding to the protection of the public and the safety of the public in general,” St-Onge told reporters Thursday.

St-Onge said that the judge disagreed about the safety risk and “came to the conclusion that the safety of the public was assured by making her reside away from our first residence and away from any schools, and that it was an isolated act.”

She said when they return to court in January, they will hear whether or not Borel will plead guilty.

St-Onge said the accused told police she was boiling water to unlock some pipes in her home.

The boy’s family told Global News earlier this month he walked through the lawn on his way home from school with friends. They were unharmed, and the child alleged he was the only one who was targeted with scalding water.

Sometimes the boy will knock on the woman’s door and run away, but his father was shocked anyone would throw boiling water on a child.

“I was trembling,” the boy said in an interview inside his home in Longueuil, Que., earlier this month. “It really hurt. It was burning.”

The boy was taken to hospital, where he was treated for painful second-degree burns. The father said luckily the hot water didn’t land on his son’s eyes.

“It’s abominable. It’s inhumane,” the dad said, adding he had never met the neighbour.

— with files from The Canadian Press