A man dressed as a mascot to offer hugs to passers-by in Old Quebec has just been found guilty of sexual assault.
On August 1, 2021, Sébastien Poirier grabbed the buttock of an 18-year-old tourist while he was dressed in a Mickey Mouse costume.
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Sébastien Poirier at the Quebec courthouse during his trial, in January 2024.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Yannick Bergeron
The victim and a friend, from the north of Montreal, were in Quebec to spend the weekend.
The two young women were eating on the terrace of the Maison Livernois restaurant when the complainant saw the famous mouse mascot strolling down Saint-Jean Street.
Laugh
She got up to greet her in turn and to hug her. The mascot then approached the fence of the terrace and, during a hug, the man dressed as Mickey lowered his hand to grab the complainant’s buttock before bursting out laughing.
The victim was in shock, so it was her friend who had to call 911 to alert the police.
Poirier was arrested in the area a little later in the evening.
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On social networks, Sébastien Poirier poses in different costumes and offers his services to host activities.
Photo: Facebook Sébastien Poirier Event host
“Calculated” testimony
During his trial, Sébastien Poirier claimed that if he had touched the plaintiff’s buttocks, it was by accident or inadvertence.
Judge Sébastien Proulx described his testimony as calculated
and of non plausible
.
On the other hand, he qualified the testimonies of the victim and her friend, two nurses, as credible.
Poirier, who is 48 years old, will have to return to court in September for sentencing.
