Republished June 26, 2023 - 2:24 PM
Original Publication Date June 26, 2023 - 12:16 PM
PERCÉ, Que. - A Quebec provincial police spokesman was charged on Monday in connection with sexual crimes against a minor that were allegedly committed in 1988, before he joined the police force.
Sgt. Claude Doiron appeared in court Monday in Percé, Que., on charges of sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference toward a child who was less than 14 years old.
According to the charge sheet, the alleged crimes took place between May and September 1988 in Cloridorme, on the Gaspé peninsula.
The case involves a single alleged victim whose identity is protected by a publication ban.
Doiron, now 60, was 25 years old at the time, and Quebec provincial police confirmed he had not yet joined the force.
A lawyer for Doiron said his client did not enter a plea, and the case is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 29.
Doiron has regularly appeared in the media since 2012, when he was named provincial police spokesman for the Gaspésie and Bas-Saint-Laurent regions.
Provincial police spokeswoman Ann Mathieu had little to add, noting that the case is before the courts.
“We are very sensitive to the fact that there is a victim behind these charges and that they must be taken care of," she said. "We will let the legal process take its course."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2023.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2023