Second round pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2015, Gabriel Gagné, was found guilty of sexual assault Tuesday at the Montmagny courthouse.
The former National Hockey League prospect (NHL) set a trap for the victim in the summer of 2016.
During a summer party at a private residence, Gagné told the victim that her friend was sick in the basement. He followed the young woman, who was 20 at the time, before forcing her to perform oral sex on him and raping her.
Unrealistic
Now aged 28, Gabriel Gagné maintained during his trial that the sexual relations had been consensual and even initiated by the complainant.
Judge Hubert Couture did not believe the attacker who gave testimony unrealistic
according to the magistrate.
His plot of events is implausible
Myth and stereotype
The defense also claimed that the complainant felt bad after the relationship because one of her friends at the party had a liking for Gagné.
The judge rejected this scenario based on myths and stereotypes
.
Despite imperfections in the victim’s testimony, the judge concluded that he was both honest and reliable
.
Other people present at the party also testified at the trial to the state of shock in which the complainant found herself after the events.
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Gabriel Gagné, while he wore the colors of the Victoriaville Tigers. (Archives)
Photo : cataractes.qc.ca
Gabriel Gagné, who played with the Victoriaville Tigres and the Shawinigan Cataractes, saw his career end with his legal troubles.
He played his last professional season with the Chicago Blackhawks farm club, in 2020-2021.
Previously, he had aligned himself with the Victoriaville Tigres and the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
Other accusations
The resident of Saint-Adèle in the Laurentians has already been found guilty of harassment and threats towards an ex-lover. He was also convicted of computer luring.
Last week, however, he was acquitted in another sexual assault case, in the judicial district of Trois-Rivières.
As for the attack committed in Montmagny, Gabriel Gagné, who is at large during the legal process, will have to return before the judge at the beginning of next year, for the determination of his sentence.
