Police searching for 1990s sex assault victims of onetime high-level Raelian
A onetime well-known member of the "Raelian" cult is facing a charge of sexual assault in a case dating back to the 90s, and Montreal police are now asking other potential victims to come forward.
Bobby Potvin, also known as "Lear," appeared in court on July 26, police said.
They provided no further details about the accusations in a news release Monday but said they're looking into "a sexual assault case that occurred in the 1990s."
"Lear" is "Raël" backwards, some Rael-watchers have pointed out. Potvin, now 57, was a high-profile member of the cult for years, telling the Globe and Mail in 2001 that he was the right-hand man to Raël, the cult leader, and was officially also a Raelian "bishop" and "continental head" for North America.
Montreal police didn't mention Raelians in the release, however, and told CTV they are simply looking for potential victims, regardless of the context where they met Potvin.
"We're looking at victims around this man," said Montreal police spokesperson Raphael Bergeron.
"It's not an investigation around this movement or anything."
Potvin told The Globe and Mail that he became a Raelian at age 14 after a neighbour in his hometown gave him a copy of Rael's first book, The Message Given by Extra-Terrestrials.
Raelians believe that aliens put humans on Earth as an experiment, and that cloning is the key to immortality.
It's clear from Potvin's media interviews that he was a member of the group through the 1990s, the same era that Montreal police are looking into.
The cult used to have tens of thousands of members worldwide and was based in Quebec. The Raelians largely dropped out of the public eye after the early 2000s, but they do still exist, VICE News reported last year.
It's unclear if Potvin is still connected to the group. In 2019, French-language news outlet QMI interviewed a man by the same name and nickname about his battle, as a landlord, to exterminate bedbugs and cockroaches.
He said he owned 60 buildings in Montreal, more specifically in the neighbourhoods of Saint-Laurent, Villeray, Saint-Michel and Hochelaga, and that he had been a landlord for at least 15 years, meaning dating back at least to 2004 at that point.
He even got an exterminator's licence in order to keep down the costs of pest-fighting, he said at the time. He called his new business "Zen Extermination," saying it was a nod to how he was trying to make life more peaceful for his tenants.
Potvin is six feet tall, 230 pounds, has blue eyes and brown hair. He speaks French.
Police are asking anyone who might have been victimized by him to go to their local police station or to directly call the sexual assault unit of Montreal police at 514-280-8502.
People may also make anonymous, confidential calls to Info-Crime Montréal at 514 393-1133 or online at infocrimemontreal.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.