Sexual assault trials | “There is really a mistake about the person,” says Luck Mervil in his testimony

Sexual assault trials | “There is really a mistake about the person,” says Luck Mervil in his testimony


The singer Luck Mervil, who is undergoing this week his trial for sexual assault, persists and signs: the victim who alleges having been raped and druged by him in the 2000s is mistaken about the person. Admittedly, he was known to the general public at the time, but several people confused him with other black stars, the artist advanced in court on Tuesday.


“There is really an error on the person. Nothing individual did not happen that evening in Rimouski, “said Luck Mervil in his testimony.

The fallen singer faces a chief of accusation of sexual assault. The crime would have occurred on June 23, 2000 in a crowded bar in Rimouski.

Luck Mervil participated that year in several shows as part of the popular musical musical Notre-Dame-de-Paris. He also released a solo album. He was therefore a face known at the time of the alleged facts.

It was in this context that he went to Rimouski on June 23, 2000 for a concert the day before Saint-Jean-Baptiste.

He would then have found himself in a bar, where he would have met the victim. She had said in her testimony that he was drugged by the singer. Stunning, vomiting, memory loss: the complainant had described her condition after a few sips of her beer, left unattended for a while. She alleges that she was sexually assaulted by the singer later in the evening in a hotel.

“I would never be attracted to someone who is drunk or has blackouts. For me, it is not pleasant to have someone who vomits, ”defended the accused on Tuesday at the Rimouski courthouse.

Employees and customers of the bar said at the time having seen it near the toilet, where the victim had taken refuge to vomit. Another detail denied by the musician. “It smells bad toilet. I am very disdainful, I like cleanliness. I would never go around the toilet talking to people, it is not the best place to dock someone. »»

The accused believes that the victim is mistaken about the person.

However, his face was known at the time. Sales of the album of the musical Notre-Dame-de-PariRecords in France and Quebec. People often tackled him on the street, he admitted. But some confused it with other artists, such as Gregory Charles or Anthony Kavanagh.

“As far as I am concerned, people sometimes get wrong. It happened that people say to me “Hello Gregory” or “Hello Kavanagh”, he said his testimony.

Luck Mervil claims not to remember with precision what he did that evening, since the days follow each other and look alike during the tour of a show.

One thing is certain, according to the accused: he did not go alone to a bar, did not meet a woman and did not have sex.

“I never go out alone after a show, I go out with the team,” said the musician. The victim said on Monday that the singer was not accompanied during their meeting at the bar.

I am aware of who I am. I am Luck Mervil, a known black man. So no, I would not have tackled someone in a single bar in Rimouski.

Luck Mervil in his testimony Tuesday

He is “not a very big drinker” and had consumed anything after the show, said the accused. “It would be very difficult to find someone who says he saw Luck Mervil on all fours, drunk. »»

The trial continues on Wednesday before judge James Rondeau with other witnesses for the defense. Me Marie-Pierre Chicoine Côté and Me Roxanne Bossé-Morin pilot the file for the public prosecutor. Me Véronique Talbot represents Luck Mervil.



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