MONTREAL (CANADA)
CBC News ·
January 8, 2019
A Quebec court judge has found Father Brian Boucher guilty of all charges in a case involving the harassment and sexual assault of a former altar boy, starting when the youth was 12 years old.
Quebec court Judge Patricia Campagnone said Boucher asked the court to “believe the unbelievable” when he testified in his own defence in the case, finding the priest guilty of sexual assault, sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching for incidents dating back more than a decade.
In the trial before a judge alone, the complainant, now in his 20s, gave detailed testimony of the alleged assaults that he said continued for three years, escalating in their severity over time.
The judge called the victim’s testimony straightforward, frank and convincing.
The victim’s identity is protected by a publication ban.
The priest’s sentencing hearing has been set for March 25.
Crown prosecutor Annabelle Sheppard said she will be seeking “a substantial period of penitentiary time” for Boucher.
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