THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — The troubled son of hockey legend Guy Lafleur has been acquitted of two sexual assault charges against him.
But Mark Lafleur’s legal troubles aren’t over yet as the 23-year-old is still awaiting sentencing on the 14 other charges he pleaded guilty to this week.
The son of Montreal Canadiens right-winger Guy Lafleur showed little emotion as a Quebec court judge acquitted him on Friday of the sex crimes and the judge displayed little pleasure as he made the ruling.
Quebec court Judge Serge Boisvert called Mark Lafleur a “junkie” who lacked credibility and said it’s highly probable that Lafleur did commit the crimes for which he was charged.
But Boisvert also said there was enough reasonable doubt given the evidence before him. He noted the victim was heavily intoxicated as well as Lafleur when the acts are alleged to have happened.
“When the accused denies sexually assaulting the victim, I don’t believe him,” Boisvert said.
“On the other hand, when the victim tells me that she was in a similar state as the accused and that she was sexually assaulted and with the evidence that I have, even if I believe her, I can’t be satisfied the claim has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Boisvert said the evidence provided by the Crown was thin and while the victim’s testimony was credible, it was not necessarily reliable given her state.
“There’s a difference between credibility and reliability,” Boisvert said in his ruling.
Now 19 years old, the woman was 14 when she started dating Lafleur in 2004.
The three-day trial heard about a tumultuous relationship between Lafleur and the girl which was highlighted by frequent drug and alcohol abuse and Lafleur’s aggressive, controlling behaviour.
The woman told the court that Mark Lafleur sexually assaulted her several times before she finally called police.
She testified that throughout the course of a 2-1/2 year courtship, he punched her in the face, stabbed her in the hand and burned her with cigarettes.
Lafleur, 23, pleaded guilty earlier this week to 14 of the 16 other charges against him, which include assault, uttering threats to a minor and forcible confinement.
Sentencing arguments on those charges will be heard next week.
Lafleur’s lawyer, Mia Manocchio said her client was happy to be acquitted but there is still a long way to go before his legal troubles are settled.
Meanwhile, Mark’s famous father still has his own legal troubles to deal with.
Last winter, Guy Lafleur was plunged into controversy when he was accused of offering contradictory testimony at his son’s bail hearing.
Guy Lafleur, 56, has since filed a lawsuit against Montreal police and Quebec’s solicitor general for $3.5 million, stating a warrant issued for his arrest tarnished his reputation.
Guy Lafleur, who appeared frequently at his son’s previous court dates, was not present for his trial.
