Former Quebec police officer Maxime Lehoux was found guilty by a jury of sexually assaulting a co-worker during a drunken evening in 2016 at the end of a second trial Friday afternoon.
The former Quebec City Police Service (SPVQ) agent has been undergoing a new trial since January 15, after he managed to overturn the first guilty verdict handed down against him in the case in May 2021.
The jury, consisting of seven women and five men, had been deliberating since Thursday afternoon. It is now up to Judge Carl Thibault to determine the appropriate sentence.
The facts date back to the night of December 15, 2016, after a drunken evening with colleagues organized at a chalet in Stoneham at Christmas.
The complainant claimed that she was attacked while she was sleeping, while Maxime Lehoux, on the contrary, claimed that the sexual relationship was completely consensual.
Approval and credibility
The focus of the dispute was the consent and credibility of the witnesses.
The complainant testified that she fell asleep in a room after an illness and that when she woke up she was naked while Maxime Lehoux penetrated her without a condom. The lawsuit alleged that Lehoux took advantage of her vulnerability and clearly asked him to stop.
Conversely, the defense theory was based on the young woman actively participating in sexual intercourse and Lehoux noticing any signs that made him doubt her consent.
The 32-year-old man, who has since given up the police job to become a construction project manager, said he felt a certain complicity with her in the evening and went into her room at night because he couldn't sleep.
At the end of the first trial he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
However, last June, the appeals court ordered a new trial, finding that the judge had given an “incorrect and incomplete legal” answer to questions from the first jury on “a fundamental aspect” of the debate.
Other folder
Recall that another allegation of sexual assault was made against Lehoux, relating to facts dating back to February 2018.
The ex-police officer was found guilty, but also appealed the verdict. The appeal process is ongoing and the 18-month prison sentence imposed in this case in May 2023 was suspended during this time.
In the present case, he is accused of taking advantage of the advanced state of intoxication of an acquaintance he met in a bar to attack her after she accompanied her home.
Lehoux denied this and also cited the victim's consent.
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