OTTAWA –
Warning: This story details alleged sexual abuse
The complainant in the case of sexual violence against Gen.-m. Dani Fortin testified in a Gatineau courtroom this morning that she woke up to the alleged attack after midnight one night in early 1988.
The complainant told the crown prosecutor that while she and Fortin were attending a military college in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., she woke up one night in the barracks and felt that Fortin had grabbed her arm with one hand and was using it to to masturbate, with his other hand on her breast.
She testified that she panicked and was terrified when she realized the position she was in and said that after signaling to him that she was awake, she pushed him and whispered “Get off me” and he pulled away .
The applicant, who gave her evidence in English, has not yet been cross-examined by the defence.
Fortin was abruptly removed as head of the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine campaign in May 2021 and was indicted on one count of sexual assault in August 2021.
Fortin maintains his innocence and, in addition to his criminal case, is challenging his removal from the vaccine campaign in Federal Court.
Challenging his suspension, Fortin accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other senior members of the Liberal government of removing him from the vaccine campaign for purely political reasons.
While his request for reinstatement was rejected last year, the appeal is scheduled to be heard early next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on September 19, 2022.
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