Hundreds of people are rallying in front of Montreal’s courthouse Sunday to denounce a light sentence imposed by Quebec judge Matthieu Poliquin on a man who pleaded guilty to sexual assault and voyeurism.
Protest co-organizer Alexandra Dupuy says the decision to grant a conditional discharge in a sexual assault case shows how inadequate the justice system is when it comes to handling such cases.
Poliquin in Trois-Rivieres, Que., opted last week to give Simon Houle probation and a conditional discharge, partly because a conviction would make it hard for Houle to travel as an engineer.
Poliquin said the 2019 assault happened “all in all quickly,” adding that Houle, who pleaded guilty last year, had taken therapy seriously and sincerely regretted his actions.
“A sentence other than a discharge would have a significant impact on his career as an engineer,” the judge wrote. “It is in the general interest that the accused, an asset for society, can continue his professional career.”
Houle also admitted during therapy to having assaulted another person in 2015, and Poliquin described that admission as concerning but said it also showed a “desire for transparency.”
Dupuy says while most people are criticizing Poliquin, it’s the legal process that ought to be questioned and revisited.
The Quebec’s Crown prosecutors office — the Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP) — said it will appeal the judge’s sentencing decision.
Justice Minister David Lametti would not comment last week when asked by Global News whether he believes there should be a review into how conditional discharges are used in cases of sexual assault.
“Our Government is absolutely committed to ensuring that Canada’s criminal justice system shows compassion to victims, holds offenders to account and upholds the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” Lametti’s press secretary, Chantalle Aubertin, said in an email.