The trial of a former firefighter from Sherbrooke, in the Eastern Townships, accused of sexual crimes against a dozen minors, was held Friday at the courthouse for representation on his sentence.
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Two of Denis Clavelle’s victims attended by videoconference, from an adjacent room, the testimony of the 72-year-old former Sherbrooke firefighter.
They said they were disappointed with his way of expressing himself and the fact that he barely acknowledged lip service to having behaved deviantly towards them.
“It’s crooked what I did,” testified the accused to judge Danielle Côté.
Denis Clavelle acknowledged touching and sexual contact with 11 victims, mostly young girls and also some boys.
The offenses spanned a period of nearly forty years, from 1982 to 2020, when he and his spouse were in foster care.
“I didn’t feel like I was committing a crime but rather giving them the affection they needed,” he said of the abused teenage girls.
“I didn’t believe I had done so much damage to them. […] I will be ashamed for the rest of my days,” he added.
Due to his harsh conditions of detention for 16 months, his age and his willingness to undergo therapy, the defense suggests a sentence of five to six years.
For the prosecution, the specter of breach of trust in this case is very high given the role that the accused played as a foster father, which is why the prosecution is asking for 10 years in prison.
The judge wants to reflect and will render her decision on June 9.
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Reference-www.journaldequebec.com