Two French Police Officers Have Been Found Guilty For Gang-Raping A Canadian Tourist From Toronto
A Toronto woman was reportedly sexually assaulted during a trip to Paris and now the officers are facing the consequences. Two French police officers have now been found guilty for gang-raping a Canadian tourist from Toronto at the Paris police headquarters. The sentencing was announced today on January 31.
The two former officers have each been sentenced to seven years in prison for their actions. Although the court verdict found them guilty, both officers are still denying that they did anything wrong, according to CTV News. They claim that the Toronto woman had consented to sex that night and said what they did do wrong was bringing her back to the police station.
The two officers have been accused of raping Emily Spanton, a 39-year-old Toronto woman, at the Paris police headquarters after they met her at a nearby Irish pub. The officers were off duty when it happened. The incident took place in April 2014, but it wasn't until almost five years later that the two cops were sentenced.
The Paris officers first met Spanton at an Irish pub, where there was flirting and heavy drinking. After, the two cops brought the victim back to the Paris police headquarters for a night tour of the station, which is where the sexual assault took place.
The Toronto woman said that she was forced to drink heavy alcohol, perform oral sex on the men, and then was gang-raped several times before she left the police station, according to CTV News. Not long after the incident took place, she reported the crime to a female police officer in Paris.
On Thursday, January 31, the two French officers plead to the jury to sentence them as not guilty. Both men were crying, according to CTV News. "I’m not a rapist. I’m not a rapist," one of the officers said to the jury. "You have my life in your hands,” another said.
After almost eight hours of deliberation on January 31, the jury in Paris found the two officers guilty on January 31. When the verdict was released, Toronto woman Spanton quietly cried. She was sitting only steps from the officers. One of the two cops also cried and shook his head in disbelief, according to CTV News.
The two accused men will make another court appearance tomorrow on Friday. During the trial, the courtroom was filled with off-duty officers. Some of them showed support to the two police officers, according to CTV News.
Source:CTV News