Harold LeBel was sentenced to eight months in prison on sexual assault charges and was released on Tuesday on probation effective April 16. Until then, the ex-MP will remain in a transitional home to pursue therapy programs.
• Also read: Sexual assault: Ex-MP Harold LeBel gets 8 months in prison
That means Harold LeBel will have served 54 days of the 243 days Judge Serge Francoeur ordered on January 26.
The 60-year-old has benefited from a provisional release since Wednesday. This means that he will be living in a transitional house until April 16th.
Although he has always denied the facts he was accused of during his trial, the Commission des libérations conditionnelles du Québec report tells us that LeBel admits to sexually abusing his victim in the fall of 2020.
“You admit to all the actions you are accused of. You are well aware of the impact of your actions on the victim and their loved ones,” the commissioners write in the five-page report, released after Tuesday’s hearing.
sincere repentance
Harold LeBel attacked the young woman while she was staying in Rimouski with a friend while on a business visit. The two women knew the deputy who had invited them to his home well.
As the first went to bed, LeBel attempted to kiss his victim, who then fled to the bathroom.
As she left after going to bed in the living room, she was joined by LeBel, who had touched her during the night and gone so far as to stick a finger in her buttocks.
Harold LeBel expressed remorse that “appears sincere” for his actions before the commissioners.
The latter point out in particular that the ex-MP regularly rereads the victim’s statements and that his words “move him deeply”.
The commissioner’s report speaks of a “very low” risk of recidivism.
It identifies relationship-level deficiencies and reliance on alcohol, which “appears to be both a haven and an outlet,” as factors in transition to law.
“In a moment of unsatisfactory relationship, you deciphered the victim’s uneasiness and disinterest,” the document reads.
To correct these deficiencies, the former PQ member committed to attending programs dealing with sexual issues and emotional dependency issues during his stay in a transitional home.
professional future
Next, Harold LeBel told the commissioners of his desire to work to protect seniors during their reintegration into society.
Harold LeBel served as MP for Rimouski from 2014 to 2022. He was expelled from the Parti Québécois faction after his arrest in December 2020.
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