Former water park owner who sexually assaulted teens granted full parole
The former owner of the Super Aqua Club water park in Pointe-calumet has been granted full parole on the sentence he received two years ago after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting teenage boys.
In 2019, Réjean Julien Proulx, now 60, pleaded guilty to a series of charges, including sexual assault, related to the sexual abuse of three teenage boys between 1992 and 2017. He was granted full parole on Thursday.
When he entered the guilty pleas at the St-jérôme courthouse, he received an overall four-year sentence.
With time served factored in, he was left to serve a prison term of a little more than three years.
During the court hearing, Proulx admitted he used a position of authority to abuse the three teenagers.
The parole decision describes how Proulx's position as the owner of the aquatics centre allowed him to make the contacts that led to the sexual abuse.
According to the Quebec business registry, Proulx sold the company after he pleaded guilty in February 2019.
A summary of the decision made by the Parole Board of Canada details how, in some cases, Proulx gave the boys cannabis and alcohol before he abused them.
The document also notes that Proulx's case management team, the people who prepare an offender for a release, suspects he committed other crimes against victims and was never charged. The parole board was informed that Proulx admitted to police he had abused at least one other person in the past, but he was not charged with any crimes for it.
“In most of the cases, you isolated the victims from their parents and their friends and bought their silence with cash and gifts while you had significant financial resources at your disposal,” the author of the summary wrote.
“According to what is noted in your file, in the past you have been unable to have healthy relationships with adults, you are emotionally immature and you are confused over your sexual identity.”
Since 2019, Proulx has completed two rehabilitation programs for sexual delinquents, including one that had to be halted last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In the final report, the agent of the program indicated that the meetings showed that you have the capacity to identify your risk factors. However, you showed certain resistance when faced with emotional subjects that could have left you vulnerable,” the parole board wrote in reference to Proulx's performance in the programs.
The board attached conditions to Proulx's release. He is not allowed to be in the presence of anyone under the age of 16 unless he gets approval from his parole officer.
He is required to report any relationships he has while on parole, and he is not allowed to be at places where minors tend to be, like parks, pools and recreation centres.