Quebec Court of Appeal overturns conditional discharge for man guilty of sexual assault

A Quebec man who received a conditional discharge after pleading guilty to sexual assault and voyeurism will spend one year behind bars after the Court of Appeal overturned the judgment.

In April 2019, Simon Houle, then a 27-year-oldmechanical engineering student at Universit du Qubec Trois-Rivires,sexually assaulted a sleeping woman during a party in an apartment and took multiple photos of her private parts.

He pleaded guiltyto the charges in 2021.

The Crown sought an 18-month sentence for him. However, in a decision rendered last June,Quebec court Judge Matthieu Poliquin handed Houle a conditional discharge with three months' probation.

In hisdecision,Poliquinsaid that a criminal record would "have a significant impact" onHoule'scareer. That ledmany advocates for sexual assault survivors to say that the sentenceminimizedthe gravity of sexual assaultand could contribute to makingvictims hesitant to come forward with their own complaints.

The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP)appealed the judgmentlast December, saying that Houle's sentenceunderestimatedthe aggravating circumstances of his crimes.

On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the DPCP.

The court sentenced Houle to 12 months in jailfor one count of sexual assault andtwo months for one count ofvoyeurism. The sentences will be serve concurrently, meaning Houle will spend one year total in jail.

In its decision, the courtsaid aconditionaldischarge in this case undermines public confidence in the administration of justice.

"The type of sexual act committed by Houle is not trivial and increases the risk of harm to the victim," the decision reads.