Selma* was 16 when her 33-year-old uncle isolated, abused and assaulted her more than 1,000 times. She became pregnant by her tormentor and had two daughters, whom he also raped when they were children. He has just been sentenced to 13 years in prison.
“His father stole his youth and his innocence,” said Judge Dannie Leblanc, of the Court of Quebec, about one of the man’s daughters, at the end of the hearing at the Longueuil courthouse. .
The Crown was seeking a 15-year sentence against the man, whom the law prohibits us from identifying to protect the identity of his victims. The defense demanded 8. He was free while awaiting his sentence. The crimes took place over a period of more than 16 years. Me Bruno Des Lauriers, the prosecutor, said he was satisfied with the sentence imposed. “I admire the courage of the victims,” he said at the end of the hearing.
The man’s niece, Selma, who cannot be identified, is originally from Africa. She went into exile in France to study with her sister, but learned in 2001 that she was pregnant. At 16, Selma was placed in the care of her grandmother in Quebec, and had an abortion.
At the time, her parents refused to allow her to return to France because she would “bring dishonor” to her family. It was then that she fell under the yoke of her uncle. He begins to attack her at this time. Following a family reunion, Selma and her executioner leave for northern Quebec. They have sex every day.
“She felt captive, afraid, not knowing where to go,” the judge said in her verdict.
At this time, Selma is the prisoner of her uncle, who frequently assaults her and is controlling with her. He refuses him all contact with the outside world and monitors all his movements. “He exercised total control over her,” argued the magistrate.
Selma tried to escape barefoot in the cold, but was caught by her uncle, who threatened to kill her, and “cut her into little pieces.”
With the numerous sexual relations, the victim becomes pregnant several times. “She ended up losing the fetus after taking a cocktail of aspirin and Coca-Cola, at the suggestion of the accused. » A tactic that works “some times”, according to the judge.
After numerous miscarriages, Selma and her uncle had two daughters. The “couple” settled in La Prairie, on the South Shore. “They formed a seemingly normal family,” underlined the magistrate in the guilty verdict.
Over the years, he assaulted his two daughters several times. “He offered her treats in exchange for sexual acts,” the judge mentioned in her decision, regarding one of the victims.
At the end of her sixth grade year, the youngest daughter, then 12, wrote a letter to her mother denouncing her father. This prompted Selma to flee to a shelter with her two children.
The offender, who is not a Canadian citizen, will be returned to his native country at the end of the sentence, the judge said.
*Fictitious name
