One of three Saint-Laurent high school basketball coaches arrested in connection with sex crimes against a teenage girl pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of sexual exploitation. The Crown dropped the charge of sexual assault targeting ex-coach Charles-Xavier Boislard.
Posted at 2:08 p.m.
Remember that the fallen coach, whose trial was to be held this week, had been accused of sexual exploitation and sexual assault of a teenage girl. He was in a position of authority over the victim at the time of the events which occurred between 2010 and 2012. She was then a student at Saint-Laurent secondary school and played basketball there.
Charles-Xavier Boislard admitted Tuesday morning to having sexually touched the complainant. There is therefore only one charge which was maintained in this case, that of sexual exploitation.
“He is the most present leader of the four, almost all of the actions committed are targeted by this leader,” explained to the media after the hearing the prosecutor in the case, Mr.e Jérôme Laflamme.
The victim met the coach while she was in secondary 1, when she participated in a basketball camp. Boislard was then his trainer. He even accompanies her home some days in his personal vehicle after practices. When she changes teams and coaches, they continue to rub shoulders during various sporting activities. Charles-Xavier Boislard drives her to medical appointments as she recovers from a ligament injury, which interrupts her participation in the team.
She resumed basketball in secondary 4. Boislard was then still in the portrait and visibly exerted control over her. They have full sexual intercourse several times a week while the victim is at the coach’s home.
The actions take place “almost always in the bedroom of the accused’s home. They also go to the cinema and restaurants,” added Me Laflamme.
Victim in another case
The victim filed a complaint with the police in 2016, but then abandoned her efforts. She reactivated the file in 2020. This complainant is the same one who was allegedly attacked by Daniel Lacasse, ex-coach of the same school.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Daniel Lacasse at the Montreal courthouse, October 15, 2024
Charles-Xavier Boislard, Daniel Lacasse and Robert Luu, three former coaches, were arrested at the same time two years ago following an investigation. The trial of Daniel Lacasse for sexual exploitation of a teenage athlete, while he was a basketball coach, took place last October and should continue this winter.
Read the article “Coach Lacasse had sexual relations with other athletes, complainant says”
A vagueness remains
The agreed statement of facts in Charles-Xavier Boislard’s case, however, leaves one question unanswered: when exactly did the alleged actions begin? The Crown believes that the victim was 16 years old at the time of the facts, while the defense believes that she was 17 years old.
“There is always a vagueness. The parties agreed that the judge would not decide the issue, the prosecution did not need it to achieve its goals and the influence on the sentence should be minimal,” explained the Crown prosecutor.
He added that the victim had been well supported during the legal process. “This morning the guilty plea I think is well received on the part of Madam. It always comes with conflicting emotions. »
A pre-sentence report and a sexological evaluation were requested by both parties. The case must return to court this winter. It’s Me Eddy Ménard who defends Charles-Xavier Boislard.
