Former Montreal school teacher gets 8-year sentence for abuse of 5 young girls
CBC
WARNING: This article contains details of sexual abuse of children.
A former elementary school teacher in Montreal was sentenced to eight years in prison on Tuesday for sex crimes involving five girls.
In March, Blanchette pleaded guilty to a total of eight counts including sexual interference, possession of child pornography, child luring and sexual exploitation. He committed the crimes while he worked at two different schools in the city's Montréal-Nord borough between September 2017 and May 2022.
According to court documents, he used his influence as a teacher and a basketball coach to groom and exploit five girls who were in the fifth and sixth grade when they first met him.
Quebec Court Judge Mélanie Hébert's 38-page decision outlines his crimes in detail: He possessed "erotic photos" of two of the victims, had sexual contact with one of them when she was 16 and had numerous conversations "of a sexual nature" with four of the five victims.
The abuse of trust, the duration and frequency of the offences were among the factors considered for Blanchette's sentence, the ruling reads.
The judge's ruling also explained how the abuse rocked the lives of his victims and their families.
One of the victims told the court that Blanchette had made her fearful around men, disgusted with sex and more prone to consuming alcohol and drugs.
Blanchette came under suspicion last year when the mother of one of the victims — who was 11 at the time — uncovered a conversation on her daughter's iPad between her and Blanchette.
He was describing a sexual fantasy involving the child and one of her classmates. The device also had photos of a naked man. The mother was certain the photos showed her daughter's teacher.
She confronted him about it and he denied any relationship.
At the time, she didn't think there was enough evidence to go to police. A few months later, the mother discovered text messages on her child's phone about a sexual encounter at the school earlier that day. She filed a police complaint.
Blanchette was later suspended by his school service centre.
Blanchette's sentence comes on the same day he turns 29.
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