A former professional hockey player accused of sexual assault allegedly set an ambush for his alleged victim at a party, luring her into a basement where he allegedly raped her. “I scream, but no one hears me,” the young woman emotionally recounted at the opening of Gabriel Gagné’s trial in Montmagny.
• Read also: Prison for this former Quebec NHL prospect who harassed an ex-girlfriend
• Read also: Former Quebec Senators prospect accused of sexual assault
The complainant, who was 20 years old at the time of the events, recalled on Tuesday morning the events which allegedly occurred on July 23, 2016.
On the sidelines of a party held for a hockey friend of Gabriel Gagné, the latter allegedly approached the young woman to tell her that one of her friends was asking to see her in the basement. At that time, all the guests were outside the house.
“He told me that my friend was not well, that she was waiting for me in the basement. [… ]but when I got down there was no one there,” the young woman said.
In fact, only Gagné, a second-round pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2015, would have followed her.
Photo MARTIN CHEVALIER
Blowjob and forced penetration
According to the prosecution’s theory, the accused forced the complainant to her knees before pulling down her swimsuit and then putting his penis in her mouth.
“He was holding me by the head and moving back and forth. I was in shock. I had trouble screaming, I was trying to tell him to stop,” the young woman said, choking back a sob.
Then, Gagné allegedly lifted her up and turned her over before “pulling down” her swimsuit panties and penetrating her, despite the fact that the alleged victim had begged him “not to do that.”
This is how the young woman allegedly lost her virginity.
The hockey player allegedly gave two blows and then pulled out to masturbate and eventually ejaculate on his buttock.
In cross-examination, the complainant was confronted at length by Gagné’s lawyer on several details, such as the duration of the alleged assault, the exact chronology of events, her clothing, the friends to whom she spoke of the alleged facts, etc. Me Maxime Raymond also noted contradictions between her testimony and the statement she made to the police as well as her comments during the preliminary investigation.
The complainant’s testimony will continue on Wednesday, while the trial is scheduled to last a total of nine days.
Multiple files
This is not Gabriel Gagné’s first run-in with the law. He was sentenced to six months in prison in May 2023 for criminal harassment and threats against a former girlfriend.
Photo MARTIN CHEVALIER
He also pleaded guilty to a charge of luring a person under 16 in January.
The 27-year-old man also has two other pending cases, namely a charge of sexual assault in Trois-Rivières as well as a case of sexual assault, armed assault, assault and harassment in Saint-Hyacinthe. These events date back to 2016 and 2018.
The accumulation of these cases before the courts led to the downfall of the hockey player from Sainte-Adèle. Gagné played three seasons in the QMJHL between 2013 and 2016, before making the jump to the American League.
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