Michael Wenn’s test | Leah Klermont-Dion feels “liberated”

(Quebec) He is the complainant in Michael Wenn’s sexual abuse investigation. Writer and documentary filmmaker Leah Clement-Dion lifted the release ban on Wednesday morning, preventing the media from naming her.

Gabriel Beland
Press

“I think it’s fundamental to stand up for the release ban. Shame has changed the pages. I’m not ashamed of anything anymore. I feel completely liberated. I don’t want to hide anymore,” the 30-year-old said in an interview. Press Marty.

On Wednesday morning, Quebec Court Judge Stephen Pauline is scheduled to deliver his verdict at Michael Wenne’s trial. His results will be known this morning.

“It simply came to our notice then. My goal is not punishment, nor is he guilty, he said. This should be asked by state representatives who recognize that there may be a crime committed against minorities. ”

The teenager had lodged a complaint with the police in October 2017. He then took a trip on social networks. But his identity was preserved by the court during a two-week trial last winter because he was a minor during the facts.

For the complainant, the verdict is not very important. After all, he wanted to complete legal proceedings. He said it was his healing process.

“For me, it’s positive after all, because I ‘ve heard and heard from a lawyer and investigators. I’m had a good reception. I feel so blessed to have had such good support,” he notes.

During the trial, Ms.^Me Clermont-Dion, Founder and Former Author of the Institute for Novio Monte (INM) Duty He is said to have touched her in 2008 in Quebec. He was 17 at the time and was an INM.

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The past few months have provided an opportunity for complainants in sexual assault cases to think about the legal procedures that await them. First, because she was at the heart of a test.

But since he is preparing a documentary series for Noovo.ca, it will be presented at the end of the summer and he is interested in this question. He was accompanied by a film crew on Wednesday morning at a court in Quebec.

He explains that he lived through difficult times at the end of January in the context of the investigation. In particular, he was the target of severe cross-examination by defense lawyers.

This method is often the same in sexual assault tests, where the evidence sometimes relies entirely on the victim’s testimony: with regard to security, this is a question that affects the credibility of the latter.

“I was very hard physically. At one point I felt like I had been abused. I felt guilty. I am not comfortable, ”she said of the cross-examination.

He argues that with listening and empathy, more “virtuous” investigative techniques should be followed. “We are looking for the same result in the evidence. It can be used by defense lawyers, it does not have to be insulting or arrogant. ”

He also criticizes the delays (three and a half years have passed between his complaint and the verdict). He also says that complainants in stories of sexual abuse should be prosecuted, just like the Center for Victims of Criminal Violence (CAVAC) child witnesses.

The documentary allowed him to reflect on these questions. He was, with the experiment, more than that, a tool in his healing process, he says.

“I feel better, I feel calmer because I had the opportunity to share their experience with so many victims. I finally realized that I was not the only one who experienced things less. Fun. »

“I do not want to complain too much. I’m privileged. I’m a privileged white woman. She’s good to come along well,” he adds.

“I suspect the same is true for some people who experience racism or a dangerous economic situation. I don’t know if they are being treated like me.”