Sergeant Claude Doiron, spokesman for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) in eastern Quebec for several years, has been charged with sexual assault and sexual contact with a minor for alleged acts committed there. He is 35 years old.
The 60-year-old police officer made a brief appearance at the Percé courthouse on Monday morning. He was present via video conference and did not comment. His lawyer, Jean-François Boucher, stated that part of the evidence had been disclosed to him by the public prosecutor.
He faces three charges: sexual assault, sexual contact with a person under the age of 14 and inciting sexual contact, according to the arrest warrant seen by Le Journal. There is only one alleged victim.
The document shows that the events took place over a period of five months in 1988, when the accused was 25 years old. He was not employed by the SQ at the time.
The sergeant, who has over thirty years of police experience, was arrested by Police Standard Duty on June 15, then received by investigators and released. He has now been relieved of his duties for about half his salary.
As information officer, Claude Doiron was the face of the SQ in the Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie and Îles de la Madeleine district for 11 years.
He was asked to speak out in the media about police events on a daily basis, making him a well-known figure in the communities in his area and sometimes beyond. He was notably in action during the ram truck attack in Amqui last March.
This news comes as the former speaker, originally from Gaspésie, was due to retire this week.
“Such a situation is never comfortable for an organization. However, it is important to also consider that there is a victim in these events. It is also important to take care of the victims. We will let the court case, which will decide what happens next, continue,” responded Lieutenant Ann Mathieu, coordinator of SQ’s broadcasting and media relations department.
The case will be returned to court for deliberation on September 29.
More details to come.