Former West Island teacher sentenced to 2 years for sexually abusing students
A former West Island teacher was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison for sexually abusing two of his students who were minors in the 80s and 90s.
Robert Charpentier, 77, was convicted on Dec. 13, 2022, after the judge heard testimony from two students who attended the Emmanuel Christian School in the Montreal suburb of Dollard-des Ormeaux.
It took one of the victims 30 years to come forward in 2019, telling the court that the abuse started with a game of truth or dare that turned sexual. The other victim said Charpentier sexually abused him during lunch at school.
In victim impact statements, they said that they lived with shame and felt betrayed by Charpentier throughout their adult lives. One said the trauma led to struggles with drugs and alcohol.
On Thursday, one of the victims told CTV News that he is "happy it's over" and that seeing Charpentier put in handcuffs in the courtroom provided him a sense of closure.
Above all, he said he wanted to be believed.
"To be able to hear the judge and the detectives and the prosecutor, but [especially] to be able to hear the judge say, like, 'I believe you,' that was really, really important," he said, "because that's really all I cared about was, like, does the judge believe me?"
The identities of the victims are shielded by a publication ban.
The defence had asked for a sentence to be served in the community, while the Crown was seeking between 24 and 30 months behind bars.
According to a 50-page judgment from Quebec Court Justice Guylaine Rivest, avoiding prison time was not an option despite Charpentier not having a criminal record and being classified as a low risk of reoffending.
"It is true that a sentence of imprisonment in the community can meet the objectives of denunciation and deterrence while leaving room for the restorative objectives of rehabilitation, reparations to the victim and community, and the promotion of a sense of responsibility in the offender," the judge wrote.
"There are situations, however, where the need for denunciation and deterrence is so urgent that those objectives can be achieved only by incarceration. This prioritization must be even more rigorously applied when the offences were committed over an extended period and in a context of trust or authority."
Charpentier must serve three years probation after his prison term and provide a sample of his DNA. He will also be placed on the sex offender registry for 10 years.
The victim who spoke to CTV News said he keeps in touch with the second victim and is glad that he came forward to police after all these years.
With files from CTV Montreal's Stéphane Giroux
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Auto theft probe leads to arrest of 59 suspects, recovery of more than 300 stolen vehicles: Toronto police
Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.
WATCH 'It's mind-boggling': Drought reveals U.S. town submerged in the 1940s
Hundreds of people are flocking to see a rare site in Pennsylvania: remnants of a historic town that is usually underwater.
B.C. landlord who evicted longtime tenant, hiked rent and re-listed unit ordered to pay $16K
A landlord from B.C.’s Lower Mainland who evicted a longtime tenant only to rent out the same unit months later for more money has been ordered to compensate him $16,480.
Meet Decoy Ohtani, perhaps the most valuable pet of the World Series
The Dodgers' most valuable pet: Decoy Ohtani, dog of Shohei, has become a fixture of Dodgers — and dog — fandom.
Bradley Barton's sentence upheld by appeals court in 2011 death of Cindy Gladue
An appeal has been denied to extend the sentence of an Ontario trucker who killed a woman in his Edmonton hotel room in 2011.
Secret Service report offers new details on failures during Trump assassination attempt
A new Secret Service report into the July assassination attempt against former U.S. president Donald Trump said multiple staffers knew about clear line-of-sight risks but found them 'acceptable' and that farm equipment intended to obstruct the view from the nearby building where the gunman opened fire was never used.
B.C. mayor's 'luxury' trip to Dubai climate conference was against ethics rules: commissioner
New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone's all-expenses-paid trip to Dubai for a climate conference last December violated the city's Code of Conduct for Council Members and the Community Charter, the city's ethics commissioner has ruled.
Human remains found in Markham, Ont. in 1980 belonged to prison escapee: police
More than 44 years after human remains were found in a rural area of Markham, Ont., police are revealing that the deceased was an inmate who had escaped prison just a month before his body was found.
Ont. woman posed as registered nurse in Simcoe County for 4 years: OPP
An Ontario woman is facing serious charges after police allege she pretended to be a registered nurse at several Simcoe County facilities, despite being unqualified.