The pedophile Roger Arpaïa will not be able to escape a second trial at the Trois-Rivières courthouse. The judge denied the defense's request to stop Jordan, even though there were more than four years between the filing of the charges and the start of the trial. Judge Annie Vanasse believes there were no unreasonable delays and that several postponements were caused by the pandemic.
The second trial against Roger Arpaïa began on Tuesday. Early in the morning, his lawyer, who had Covid-19, wanted to postpone the court case again. I, Pénélope Provencher, feverishly felt unable to cross-examine.
After long discussions, the process finally began. The 75-year-old pedophile is currently serving a five-year prison sentence for sex crimes against another victim, a 9-year-old girl.
After years of waiting, the alleged victim began her testimony in isolation in another room of the courthouse.
The now 54-year-old woman was a minor when the defendant committed several sexual acts against her in the early 1980s. She is said to have been touched in the defendant's apartment and raped in his car.
“I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner. I was petrified. I cried afterward when he left,” she said.
A service dog was at his side during his testimony. The alleged victim says she was afraid to come forward for years. But when she found out about the little 9-year-old victim, a feeling of guilt drove her to report her attacker.
Due to the health of Roger Arpaïa's lawyer, the trial will continue on December 19 with the cross-examination of the alleged victim. The Crown must call two more witnesses.