People take part in a protest against a ruling by Judge Matthieu Poliquin in the case against a man who pleaded guilty to sexual assault and voyeurism in Montreal, Sunday, July 10, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes MONTREAL – Hundreds of people gathered outside a Montreal courthouse Sunday to protest a light sentence handed down to a man who pleaded guilty to sexual assault and voyeurism. Protest co-organizer Alexandra Dupuy said the decision to grant parole in a sexual assault case shows how inadequate the justice system is when it comes to handling such cases. “It’s very concerning, but it’s a surprise … no,” Dupuy said in an interview Sunday. “The justice system has been working this way for a long time.” Protesters carried signs with slogans such as “Don’t tell me rape culture doesn’t exist” and “Rapists everywhere, justice nowhere”. Judge Matthieu Poliquin in Trois-Rivières, Que., chose last week to give Simon Houle probation and a conditional discharge, in part because a conviction would make it difficult for Houle to travel as an engineer. Poliquin said the 2019 attack happened “overall quickly”, adding that Houle had taken treatment seriously and was genuinely remorseful for his actions. Houle pleaded guilty to sexual assault and voyeurism after assaulting an acquaintance and taking pictures of her private parts as she slept in 2019. Both Dupuy and Marie-Maxime Gaumont, one of the other protest co-organizers, said that while most criticize Poliquin, it is the legal process that needs to be questioned and re-examined. “It’s so disgusting, we can’t just sit there and do nothing, we have to express our deep anger at the justice system that protects the attackers,” Gaumont said. “I feel like we’re going full circle and nothing is being done to change it; we had the proof with the Poliquin proposal.” The Crown Prosecution Service of Quebec announced that it will appeal the judge’s decision. Several protesters drew comparisons between Houle’s case and that of Gilbert Rozon, founder of the Just for Laughs festival, who pleaded guilty to sexual assault in 1999 but received a light sentence because he had no criminal record. Rozon was granted a conditional discharge that allowed him to continue to travel in the United States and conduct business. For protester Patricia Tulasne, Rozon’s decision played a role in shaping Houle’s sentence. “It’s 2022, post #MeToo, it’s unacceptable for a judge to hand down a sentence like that,” said Tulasne, who was part of a group that sued Rozon years ago. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 10, 2022.
