Quebec father sexually assaulted by wife qualifies for victim compensation: tribunal
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/06/2023 (1026 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
MONTREAL – A tribunal has found that a Quebec man who became a father after he was sexually assaulted by his wife qualifies for payments from the provincial fund for victims of crime.
The province’s administrative tribunal was asked to rule whether the man should receive the compensation given to someone who supports a child born of sexual assault.
The officials who oversee the fund had denied his request, noting among other things the father did not have custody of the child and that the amounts are meant for a parent who can’t work.
However, the ruling notes the wording of the law can also include someone other than a mother if that person assumes financial care of the child.
Calling the matter a “unique” case, a panel of two administrative judges agreed with the father, noting that he alone provides financial support for the child as the mother is unemployed.
None of the parties are identified in the decision dated May 19 and released earlier this month.
The tribunal also found the father does try to play a part in the child’s life but is forced to deal with his assailant. It concluded he would be more involved if he wasn’t re-traumatized after visits to her home.
The couple came to Canada in 2008 and conflicts arose soon after as the man did not want children and was subjected to verbal, physical and sexual violence that got worse over the years.
The abuse spanned between 2010 and February 2013, when he said he was forced to have sex with his wife without a condom after a particularly tense argument with her and his mother-in-law over whether to have children.
The father learned a few weeks later she was pregnant and ultimately left the family, never to return.
Paternity was established in 2018 and the divorce was finalized in 2019.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2023.