Two men have been accused of revealing the identity of former Parti Québécois MP Harold LeBel’s victim on social media, despite a judge’s order clearly prohibiting it.
We now know that it is Catherine Fournier, the current mayor of Longueuil, because last April – after the end of the trial of Harold LeBel for sexual assault – she asked for the order to be lifted in order to be able to speak out on the issue.
But before that, anyone was forbidden from revealing their identity: Judge Serge Francoeur had already ordered this at the beginning of the criminal proceedings. Protection of the identity of victims of sexual assault as provided for in the Criminal Code is the norm.
Furthermore, the judge’s order was “clear,” said the Crown prosecutor in the case, Me Alex Turcotte.
Two citizens, Sylvain Fortin and Stéphane Vigeant, were charged with “violation of an ordinance” at the Rimouski courthouse on Tuesday morning. They were represented by their respective attorneys and pleaded not guilty.
One of them is accused of bluntly revealing Ms. Fournier’s name on Twitter and the other of providing information identifying the victim, Me Turcotte said by phone.
It was the Sûreté du Québec that investigated this matter. Police submitted two files to the Director of Criminal and Prosecution, who approved the filing of charges in both cases.
The evidence has been handed over to the defendants’ lawyers, Me Turcotte confirmed. The case returns to court in January.
Recall that after being found guilty of one count of sexual assault in November 2022, Harold LeBel was sentenced to eight months in prison.
Catherine Fournier strongly denounced that her name had been revealed against her will. “This guarantee of anonymity” enabled her to move forward and file a police report against her attacker, she wrote in an open letter published in April. She then said that she still feels “heartbreak” when she thinks about that moment.