Courts must send a strong message that sexual violence against children is unacceptable, the Crown pleaded on Friday, calling for 6 years in prison for a teacher who molested an 8-year-old pupil.
“She betrayed the trust of the victim, her parents, the school and society as a whole,” prosecutor Me Claudia Ossio said Friday at the Laval courthouse.
Josianne Lévesque, 43, was a sophomore elementary school teacher at a Montreal college. She also helped with homework. And in this context, she sexually assaulted a student who was only 8 years old.
protect children
The abuse lasted 17 months before the child told his parents, although Lévesque did everything possible to keep his crimes a secret.
“It is extremely serious, these are vile gestures. She should help him, move him forward in life, Me Ossio regretted. She acted to satisfy her own needs and emotional lack. »
Noting the importance of protecting the most vulnerable in society, the prosecutor called for an exemplary sentence. Because if the child has suffered significant psychological consequences, the parents are also victims.
“We must send a chilling message to society, and it must be strong,” pounded the prosecutor.
Amorous “
In the dock, Lévesque said nothing during the hearing. For his part, his attorney, Me Francis Cloutier, acknowledged that the Supreme Court should severely punish sex crimes against minors.
At the same time, however, he recalled that Lévesque had already started his rehabilitation.
“She realizes that she has influenced the child’s development, she will take charge of her actions, there was never any talk of her trying to run away,” he said.
Since her arrest in 2020, Lévesque has also taken several therapeutic steps to better understand why she believed she “fell in love” with the victim.
To further his client’s rehabilitation, he therefore proposed 25 months incarceration, insisting that it was “indulgent” but “personal” to the fallen teacher’s profile.
Judge Serge Cimon will make his decision in October.