The trial of a well-known Quebec civil lawyer opened Thursday with the testimony of his alleged victim, whom he allegedly sexually assaulted three times when she was between the ages of 8 and 12.
• Also read: Civil lawyer charged with criminal offence
Gilles Grenier, 74, tried to obtain a stay of proceedings in his case, arguing in particular violations of his right to a lawyer and to silence at the time of his arrest in 2018.
On Thursday morning, Judge Steve Magnan confirmed the dismissal of the request, thereby opening the trial with the testimony of the complainant.
The young woman, aged in her late 20s, described Grenier as a family friend whom she saw at parties and other special occasions where she played with one of her sons. He also sometimes babysat her at his home.
Three alleged events
The first event reported by the alleged victim allegedly occurred during a barbecue gathering of several families. Having no tent to sleep in, the young girl, who was then “about 8 years old”, allegedly found herself with her younger brother in Grenier’s tent, along with the latter’s son.
In the middle of the night, she said she woke up feeling the accused at her feet.
“He was putting my toes in his mouth and caressing my feet, my legs, my thighs and my crotch,” said the woman, whose identity is protected by a court order.
On two other occasions, episodes of touching allegedly occurred while the girl was being looked after by the accused. The complainant explained that the first of these incidents allegedly occurred on the sofa at Gilles Grenier’s residence. While she was playing a video game on a portable console, the civil lawyer allegedly joined her on the sofa and began to caress her.
“He put his hand in my pants, he was caressing me and he tried to penetrate my anus with his finger […] “He touched my vulva, vagina and anus,” the young woman testified confidently.
The third event, similar to the other two, is said to have occurred when the latter was “11-12 years old.”
Contradictions
The alleged victim said she buried her memories, not talking about them to anyone until her late teens. In fifth grade, she confided in a friend, then, in 2016 or 2017, she opened up to her partner at the time. What led to her complaint to the police was a month-long stay at the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec, prompted “because of those events.” The day she was released, she confided in her parents, before filing a complaint a few months later.
In cross-examination, the accused’s lawyer, Mr.e Charles Levasseur questioned the complainant at length about discrepancies between her statements to the police, at the preliminary investigation and at the opening of the trial.
The young woman admitted to having “only flashes” of the events and mentioned that her memories “stopped abruptly while it was happening.”
The public prosecutor is represented by Mr.e Michel Bérubé, who announced that he had closed his evidence. The lawyer’s trial will continue on Friday with the testimony of Gilles Grenier.
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