Sex crimes du jour

Publisher Michel Brûlé – who made a very marginal run for mayor here in 2013 – has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a writer who met with him about a book. Ironically, his publishing company is called Les Intouchables.

Meanwhile, Gilbert Rozon – who founded the Just for Laughs festival – has taken the stand at his trial for rape. The defendant in this case has been kept anonymous. Rozon is also suing media personalities Julie Snyder and Penelope McQuade for describing him as a sexual predator on TV. I don’t see how he could win: it’s a matter of public record that (quoting Wikipedia) “In 1998, Gilbert Rozon received an unconditional discharge from the Quebec Superior Court after pleading and being found guilty of a sexual assault on a 19-year-old woman, because a criminal record would have made it difficult for him to travel internationally for his work.”

1998 seems like a long time ago, in some ways.