Harold Lebel’s cross-examination ended Tuesday morning, with the Crown still trying to identify inconsistencies between the version he reported during the former deputy’s police investigation and his testimony to the jury.
• Read more: ‘I never did it’: LeBel denies molestation allegations
• Read more: Harold LeBelle, accused of sexual assault, will testify at his trial
• Read more: Sexual assault case: Harold Lebel tells plaintiff he had ‘no excuse’ for drinking
Crown prosecutor Jerome Simard grilled the former MP again Monday morning about details of how he allegedly sexually assaulted a friend who was sleeping at Rimouski’s home this evening in the fall of 2017.
Harold Lebel recalled on several occasions that his testimony may have differed from the version he gave to police when he was arrested in December 2020, due to the pressure of the investigation and the time it took him to recover.
“Since that morning [celui de l’interrogatoire], re-watched and re-watched and re-watched the film. I can tell you I didn’t go into the bedroom, I went into the kitchen,” the accused replied to the prosecutor, who asked him to describe the sequence of events that took place when the victim locked herself in the bathroom.
trap
This applies to the long-standing question of lying on the alleged victim’s bed instead of going to sleep or asking the complainant to join a third person to vacate the bed.
“You told the police you were caught against your will. What did you say?” Simert asked.
“I was stuck in the situation. I have two beds. One bed has a girl and the other has a girl. I was like stuck. I should have woken one up and asked the other to join. I never planned it,” Mr. Lebel said.
During the police interrogation, it was revealed that the politician became agitated knowing that his arrest had already been made public. He then told the police that none of this would have happened if he had not gone to bed with the complainant.
“Sir, Tabarnak. If I had gone to bed [la 3e personne] I wouldn’t have had this problem,” M Jerome Simard was quoted as saying while reading the trial notes.
“Everything was collapsing in front of me and I could see it clearly,” the accused replied.
A tense cross-examination
A short while ago, Mi Simart, who recommended to the jury the memory of the selected among the accused, then mentioned the Metropolis attack in 2012, where Harold Lebel was present. He was led to mention that he remembered the details of the tragic event very well, then quickly returned to the facts of the accusation against the ex-partner, a course of action that drew the ire of prosecutors.
“The accused [dans l’affaire du Metropolis] He was accused of murder. M, he recalled, was one of the men in front of the Lebel gun. Then we are going to rebuke him and plead with him tomorrow [dans le dossier d’agression sexuelle] His memory is incomplete. […] “, I was opposed by Maxim Roy, who intervened several times during the cross-examination of his colleague.
“You have to ask thorough and honest questions,” he insisted, visibly nervous.
Judgment next week
Prosecutors will present their arguments to the jury Wednesday afternoon as evidence in the case and defense is now complete.
Judge Serge Francoeur is due to meet with lawyers to prepare his final instructions, which will be delivered to the 14 jurors next Monday.
The jury will be withdrawn to deliberate on whether or not Harold Lebel is guilty of the sexual assault charges filed against him.
“Music geek. Coffee lover. Devoted food scholar. Web buff. Passionate internet guru.”
More Stories
An investigation that resembled a fishing story: Armed, he allegedly targeted a trout fisherman who had set up in the river in front of his house.
Drug bust: Two arrested and seven weapons seized in Quebec
Franco-Manitobans want Denis Bombardier to lie