Three teenagers were charged Monday in connection with a 13-year-old who was raped last month.
Police arrested five teenagers -- one girl and four boys -- last Thursday, and the three due in court have been detained ever since. Two were released with a promise to appear in court at a later date.
Montreal police said a 13-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on March 24 between 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. at a party in a Montreal North apartment. Police said everyone involved knew each other.
The three teens who appeared Monday -- two boys and a girl aged 13 to 16 years old -- were charged with sexual assault, creation, possession and distribution of child pornography, and confinement.
According to Cogeco News, the teenaged girl filmed the events and shared them on on the Whatsapp and SnapChat apps. The images were passed around the community and eventually shared with the victim's older brother, who recognized his sister and told his father.
Officers were informed of the assault six days later, and their investigation led to Thursday's arrests.
“We received a 911 call from the father of the victim who told us that the sexual assault occurred on March 24 in an apartment in the Montreal North borough,” explained Montreal police spokesperson Andree-Anne Picard. “We didn’t have the information before the father called us, so that's why at this moment, when we got the information, the major crimes squad took charge of the investigation.”
The suspects will return to court on Wednesday for a bail hearing.
A fourth teenager is expected in court later this week to face charges, while a date has not been set for the fifth suspect.
The investigation is ongoing.
