A Quebec woman has been in a jail cell in the Bahamas for the past two weeks after she was accused of sexually assaulting a teenaged boy.
Karine Gagné, a 23-year-old mother of three from Sainte-Gertrude-de-Bécancour, near Drummondville, began a cruise in the Bahamas on Jan. 1 with several co-workers.
The ship docked in Great Stirrup Cay and Gagné said she was in a bar when she met a young man who stood 6'1" and had a beard.
Gagné told her mother, Chantale Auclair, that one thing led to another and the pair ended up having sex in the bar's bathroom.
While Gagné believed the young man was 18, it turns out he was only 15 years old.
When the boy's mother learned of the sexual incident she contacted police, who arrested Gagné on Jan. 5.
According to Bahamian law a 15-year-old boy cannot legally give consent to have sexual intercourse.
She appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt last Friday and returns to court on Feb. 3 to face the charges of sexual assault against a minor.
Auclair flew to the Bahamas and was able to speak with her jailed daughter for about an hour.
"I cried, I cried so much, but I told her I didn't come for nothing, that we weren't close for nothing. She is more than my daughter, she is my confidante," said Auclair.
Now back in Quebec, Auclair is organizing a fundraiser to help Gagné with legal costs.
The country music bar in St. Perpetue where Gagné works is assisting the cause.
Her family and friends say Gagné was fooled by the boy, and so they stand by her despite her actions.
If convicted, Gagné could face up to seven years in prison.
