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New Sexual Assault Charges Against Michel Giroux and Search for Victims of Another Perpetrator
Gatineau, May 6, 2019. – The call for victims to come forwards issued on February 27 led Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG) officers to file 13 new charges against Michel Giroux, a 26 year-old Gatineau resident. Based on new information received, SPVG officers also arrested Vincent Carrières, a 28 year-old Gatineau resident, for similar infractions. The SPVG is reissuing its call for victims of Mr. Giroux to come forward, as well as for those of Mr. Carrières or any other individual. Victims can call 819-243-2345, extension 6238. At a glance | ● | The call for victims resulted in close to 20 new leads concerning Mr. Giroux and his accomplice. |
| ● | Every lead received by the SPVG was checked and investigated to determine whether it provided grounds for charges to be presented to the Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP). |
| ● | In total, eight new formal complaints were filed with the SPVG concerning Mr. Giroux and Mr. Carrières since the February press conference, and some of those are still being investigated.
– The events that are being investigated in relation to the two accused date back to 2018.
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| ● | As a result, on May 1, at around 3 p.m., Mr. Giroux was again arrested by SPVG officers.
– He appeared before the Court of Québec after meeting with investigators, and remained in detention.
– He is facing charges of sexual assault with a weapon*, overcoming resistance by administering a substance, and voyeurism.
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| ● | Mr. Carrières was arrested at around 1:30 p.m. on that same day.
– He appeared before the Court of Québec after meeting with investigators, and also remained in detention.
– He is facing charges of sexual assault with a weapon* and overcoming resistance by administering a substance.
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| ● | The investigation continues, and further charges may be laid against the two men. |
| ● | The SPVG wants to thank the media for their help with disseminating this call to the victims, and especially, to honour the courage of the victims who dared to come forward. |
*Precision: Pursuant to paragraph 272(1)(d) of the Criminal Code of Canada, sexual assault committed by more than one individual at a time is considered sexual assault with a weapon. Seeking victims of Vincent Carrières | ● | Based on the evidence obtained during the investigation, the SPVG has reason to believe that there may be other victims of Mr. Carrières, who may have acted on his own or accompanied by other individuals, including Mr. Giroux. |
| ● | His modus operandi is as follows:
– In every one of the cases concerning the accused, the victims were contacted through a dating app. The initial contact was by Mr. Giroux or Mr. Carrières.
– After some back-and-forth, the victim and the accused met, at which time sexual acts were committed against the victim despite the fact that the latter had withdrawn her consent or was unable to consent in view of her level of intoxication. |
Review of the facts concerning Michel Giroux | ● | On February 26, at around 3:30 p.m., SPVG police officers arrested Michel Giroux, age 26, Simon Lavoie, age 27, and Hasan Demirovic, age 31 on sexual assault charges. |
| ● | At that time, the SPVG had received three separate complaints related to the administration of an intoxicating substance, possibly GHB, to the victims to facilitate the perpetration of sexual assaults. |
| ● | The similarities evident in those three cases in terms of the modus operandi of Mr. Giroux led the SPVG to believe that others may have fallen victim to him. |
| ● | Mr. Giroux contacted his victims online through dating apps such as Tinder and Bumble. After some back-and-forth, Mr. Giroux then invited the victim to his place or to a friend's place.
– When the victim went to the suspect's home, upon arrival she saw that another man was present. Mr. Giroux identified that man as a friend of his.
– When the victim agreed to go to the home of a friend of Mr. Giroux, she went with Mr. Giroux and the friend in question.
– Alcohol was then consumed, and suddenly the victims felt very intoxicated. Then sexual acts were perpetrated against the victim, with Mr. Giroux and the other man taking part, all despite the fact that the victim had not consented. |
| ● | In accordance with the Police Act, the serial crime investigation management mechanism (structure de gestion des enquêtes sur les crimes en série (GECS)), coordinated by the Sûreté du Québec, was deployed in connection with these related cases of sexual assault within the Gatineau territory. |
Associated links
News release: Seeking Victims of Sexual Assault Following an Online Encounter Prévention du crime et conseils de sécurité Sécurité personnelle Pictures of the accused
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