The founder of the Just for Laughs festival was a no-show in court when he was formally charged with sexual assault on Tuesday.

Gilbert Rozon was arrested two weeks ago and released with a promise to appear in court.

Because of that condition, Rozon did not appear personally and instead had a lawyer represent him.

Rozon is accused of rape and a related charge to an event that took place in 1979 in St-Sauveur.

In the past year, 14 women have come forward and filed complaints about Rozon, but the Crown decided only one alleged crime had enough evidence to proceed to trial.

This does not mean that the Crown does not believe Rozon's accusers, but rather that the prosecutors did not think they would be able to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

In the case that is going forward, the victim was a minor in 1979, and her identity cannot be published.

Rozon's lawyer said that his client wanted the option to choose between a jury trial or a trial by judge, and was not yet ready to enter a plea.

“We disclosed the evidence in the file so the defence could study the evidence and to decide the next appropriate step to take,” said Crown prosecutor Bruno Menard.

The next step will be on March 8, when a date will be set for a preliminary hearing.