Deguire remorseful as case moves forward
Former Montreal North borough mayor Gilles Deguire is an honourable man who lost control and deeply regrets what he’s charged with doing, his lawyer said at the Montreal courthouse on Monday following a brief hearing.
Deguire, 67, is charged with sexual assault and sexual touching of a minor under the age of 16.
“Our client recognizes that he’s caused some harm,” defence lawyer Frank Pappas told reporters outside the courtroom on Monday, “but he’s fundamentally a good man, a man of a certain age who possibly skidded off the road and lost control.”
Deguire renounced his right to a preliminary hearing in October and was supposed to have a date for his trial set on Monday. The case was instead pushed back to early December.
“When we will either have a date set for the trial, or Mr. Deguire will plead guilty,” said Crown prosecutor Louise Blais outside the courtroom.
The acts Deguire has been charged with are alleged to have taken place in Montreal and elsewhere in Quebec between 2013 and 2015. The alleged victim’s identity is protected under a publication ban.
During Monday’s brief hearing, Blais reminded the judge of the importance of moving the case along as quickly as possible.
“We have a young victim for whom this is very difficult and who needs this to move forward,” Blais told Quebec Court Judge Myriam Lachance.
Outside the courtroom, Pappas said it should be to Deguire’s credit that he spoke openly in his inner circle about what allegedly happened, and that he never tried to deny any form of mistake or wrongdoing on his part.
“We’re dealing with an honourable individual who slipped up,” Pappas said. “With a man who has always been an outstanding citizen, who is extremely remorseful and feels so much pain for what he’s done.”
Deguire was elected mayor of the Montreal North borough in 2009. He resigned in early January of this year when it was revealed that he was the subject of a criminal investigation unrelated to his political role.
Before becoming mayor, Deguire served 30 years as a Montreal police officer, most of them in Montreal North. The case returns to court on Dec. 1.