Former Montreal school teacher gets 8-year sentence for abuse of 5 young girls
CBC
WARNING: This article contains details of sexual abuse of children.
A former elementary school teacher in Montreal was sentenced to eight years in prison on Tuesday for sex crimes involving five girls.
In March, Blanchette pleaded guilty to a total of eight counts including sexual interference, possession of child pornography, child luring and sexual exploitation. He committed the crimes while he worked at two different schools in the city's Montréal-Nord borough between September 2017 and May 2022.
According to court documents, he used his influence as a teacher and a basketball coach to groom and exploit five girls who were in the fifth and sixth grade when they first met him.
Quebec Court Judge Mélanie Hébert's 38-page decision outlines his crimes in detail: He possessed "erotic photos" of two of the victims, had sexual contact with one of them when she was 16 and had numerous conversations "of a sexual nature" with four of the five victims.
The abuse of trust, the duration and frequency of the offences were among the factors considered for Blanchette's sentence, the ruling reads.
The judge's ruling also explained how the abuse rocked the lives of his victims and their families.
One of the victims told the court that Blanchette had made her fearful around men, disgusted with sex and more prone to consuming alcohol and drugs.
Blanchette came under suspicion last year when the mother of one of the victims — who was 11 at the time — uncovered a conversation on her daughter's iPad between her and Blanchette.
He was describing a sexual fantasy involving the child and one of her classmates. The device also had photos of a naked man. The mother was certain the photos showed her daughter's teacher.
She confronted him about it and he denied any relationship.
At the time, she didn't think there was enough evidence to go to police. A few months later, the mother discovered text messages on her child's phone about a sexual encounter at the school earlier that day. She filed a police complaint.
Blanchette was later suspended by his school service centre.
Blanchette's sentence comes on the same day he turns 29.
A third-party review of the use of dogs in medical research at London's Lawson Research Institute found that the testing, which induced heart attacks in the dogs, complied with all "regulatory, ethical and professional standards."
A Calgary-based outreach team that's trained to respond to overdoses in the city's inner-city Beltline neighbourhood, will see its hours slashed by Recovery Alberta so it will no longer operate overnight.
What happens in one community in northeast B.C. is always felt by all, says Peace River Regional District chair Brad Sperling.
School is out again on the northeast Avalon, as the region continues to dig out from this winter’s biggest storm.
Wikwemikong Tribal Police Servce (WTPS) said a drop in the number of charges against teens last year, particularly boys, is an encouraging sign that early intervention programs are working.
Christian Herridge’s life has not been easy.
Ken Stannix saw a community in economic decline when he retired from a career in the military and moved home to McAdam in 2012.
When Alexe Frédéric Migneault suddenly began experiencing hair loss, they thought a haircut would be just the thing to help them feel confident again.
Members of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan (MN-S) who had come to rely on a mental health and addictions support program say the organization should have done more to prepare for the end of federal funding that will force it to close next month.
Islanders applying for or renewing their Prince Edward Island health card after April 1 will see a new optional question about their race or ethnicity.
This winter's lack of snow and mild conditions have impacted the economics of the skiing and biking industry in B.C.'s Interior.
In this city-run seniors' building, Hamilton residents say needles, urine, feces are only steps away
When Rose Hamilton stepped into the stairwell of her apartment building one evening in January, it wasn’t the first time she says she encountered a puddle of urine and feces.
Democrats in Washington are expanding their probe into the circumstances around U.S. President Donald Trump's recent threat to block the opening of the new Gordie Howe bridge connecting Windsor, Ont., and Detroit.