sexual assault

Dorval man charged with sexual assault

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Montreal police (SPVM) are seeking possible victims of Mark Pomeranz, 54, arrested on August 27 in connection with a sexual assault case. Investigators believe there may be additional victims, particularly within the Indigenous community, and are hoping to gather further information from anyone who may have witnessed or experienced similar incidents.

According to the investigation, the assault took place in Dorval on August 8, shortly after midnight. Police allege that Pomeranz approached his victim in a public space, gained their trust, and offered them a ride. Once the victim was isolated, Pomeranz reportedly used threats and intimidation to commit a sexual assault before leaving the scene.

Investigators say their findings suggest Pomeranz could be linked to other similar cases. The suspect is described as a white male, 54 years old, 5’5” (1.75 m), 180 lbs (82 kg), with brown hair and hazel eyes. He speaks English.

To assist the public, police have released a photo of the vehicle used during the last incident—a car with the license plate AMB 68M.

Anyone who may have been a victim or witnessed Pomeranz’s actions is encouraged to contact their local police station, reach out directly to the SPVM’s sexual assault section at 514-799-7225, or call 911 to file an official complaint. Support is also available through Indigenous community organizations and social workers for those who wish to be accompanied.

Information can also be shared anonymously with Info-Crime Montréal at 514-393-1133 or via infocrimemontreal.ca. n

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Former St. Laurent school coach on trial for sexual assault

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Daniel Lacasse, one of three École St. Laurent basketball coaches accused of sexual assault against underage students, is on trial in a case that is expected to conclude this week. Lacasse, as well as fellow coaches Charles-Xavier Boislard and Robert Luu, were arrested in February 2022.

One of the students, who was 16 at the time, testified last week that Lacasse acted slowly and methodically, by insinuating himself into her life and that of her mother, and then committed the assaults on and off the school grounds.

The female student, who cannot be identified, said the alleged assaults took place as much as three times a week in such locations as Lacasse’s car and house, and in the school’s laundry and teacher’s locker room. She said assaults took place from 2010 to 2012.

The former student said the coach’s involvement in her life began with visits, accompanying her to doctors’ appointments, and providing money for food as the mother was struggling financially, working at three jobs. According to the testimony, the helpful actions distracted from the coach’s alleged insulting behaviour at school. The former student also said Lacasse had adult-oriented conversations with her, including what attracted him to a woman.

The student then alleged that the sexual assaults began with Lacasse touching her thighs and then escalated to full sex. She said he was known for sleeping with other female students.

As previously reported by The Suburban, a 2023 Ministry of Education report said the system failed students who complained of sexual assault, which was part of a harmful atmosphere at the school for some 20 years.

The report said complaints were made about inappropriate behaviour and words by coaches to the Marguerite-Bourgeoys Service Centre, the high school itself and the Quebec Basketball Federation, but they did not take action.

The report also pointed out that if complaints were made to the school, or were received by the Réseau du sport sportif du Québec through its “Je porte plainte” website, the entities did not share the information. As a result, many complaints could be made against a particular coach, but the matter would not be investigated. n

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West Island coach found guilty of sexual assault

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Robert Litvack was found guilty of sexual assault and sexual interference on a 13-year-old late last week.

The 44-year-old Dollard-des-Ormeaux (DDO) man who coached various sports teams throughout the West Island was handed the guilty verdict by Justice Josée Bélanger of the Quebec Court.

As a direct result of his trusted position, Litvack managed to attack the young aspiring athlete who faced his aggressor in court, sharing his testimony last July alongside his parents.

At the time that the assaults occurred, Litvack was giving personal baseball training lessons to the teen in preparation for the next season. As part of the training session “preparations” Litvack massaged the teen’s legs, then told him to lower his underwear at which point he proceeded to massage his exposed buttocks for an average of 15 seconds during each session.

Litvack also invited the teen to participate in a disturbing version of a driving lesson, first allowing him to steer his car, then asking him to sit on his lap. During some car rides, Litvack tickled the teen on his inner thigh and repeated the same unwanted tickling while the teen was cornered in a baseball batting cage.

The privacy of the training sessions was further enhanced by the Covid-19 regulations coupled with the colder weather which stipulated that the teen could not be accompanied by his parents while participating in a private indoor training session.

According to the teen’s testimony, the unwanted gestures made him feel uncomfortable to the level where he was apprehensive each time he crossed paths with Litvack. “It’s not that I dreaded the practices, but when they were about to start, I was counting down the minutes,” he told the court last summer.

The ongoing sexual assaults ended after the youngster found the strength to talk about it to his mother, who in turn discussed the issue with his father. Together, the family decided to file a police report.

The AA bantam baseball coach was arrested in DDO in May 2021. The case caused a stir in the West Island due to Litvack’s involvement as an administrator in the Lac-Saint-Louis baseball organization. He was also a hockey coach. n

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Police seek suspect in sexual assault in TMR

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Joel Ceausu

Montreal Police Sexual Assault investigators are asking the public to help identify a suspect who may be linked to an incident of indecent acts and sexual touching towards a minor, which occurred last April on a bus in Town of Mount Royal.

On April 11, around 4:45 p.m., on board the 165 Côte-des-Neiges bus, the individual allegedly masturbated in front of the victim before following her off the bus, where he then allegedly committed sexual touching.

The individual is a white English-speaking male, in his twenties. At the time of the incident, he had short hair and a few days of stubble. He was wearing a pale blue hooded jacket with dice patterns on the back and baggy jeans.

The SPVM is releasing a video and images captured by surveillance cameras that could help identify the individual. Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to contact 911 or their local police station. It is also possible to report the incident anonymously and confidentially to Info-Crime Montréal at 514 393-1133 or online. n

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St. Laurent resident could be deported after losing sex assault appeal

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By: Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

St. Laurent resident Sobhi Akra, 41, recently lost an appeal of a 16-month sentence he received in Quebec Court for five counts of sexual assault and three counts of attempted sexual assault — one of the bases for his appeal was that Akra — being only a permanent resident and not a citizen for two years — could face a deportation hearing because his sentence is longer than six months.

Akra, a father of four, had already served four months, and had 12 months remaining in his sentence. He had been living in Canada for two years at the time of the incidents.

Akra pled guilty to sexually assaulting six women and two minors between October 2017 and November 2018, admitting to randomly approaching his victims from behind, grabbing them and running his hands over their bodies. The charges for some of the crimes had been reduced from sexual assault to attempted sexual assault “as the victims managed to escape Akra’s advances.”

According to the Aug. 14 Superior Court judgment, “the offences all involve touching the buttocks, thighs, hips, crotch, vulva or breasts. The appellant’s modus operandi consisted of sneaking up on the victims to touch them before running away. It was only after he had an eighth victim that the appellant was finally identified and arrested.”

Akra’s lawyer argued that “the sentences imposed on the counts of sexual assault and attempted sexual assault are clearly unfit and do not respect the principle of proportionality, and the judge made errors of principle that had an impact on the sentencing.”

But Superior Court judge Yvan Poulin ruled that “a reading of the judgment as a whole allows one to understand the reasoning underlying [the original judge’s] overall decision and to conclude that the sentences imposed on all the counts were fair and appropriate.

“It is clear from the judgment that the judge correctly took into account the particular circumstances of each of the crimes while keeping in mind that they were committed in the context of a series of crimes with many similarities. Although the judge did not go back over the specific circumstances of each of the offences when distributing the sentences, such an exercise was not necessary.” n

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West End sex offender wanted for breach of conditions

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

The Montreal Police Service Sexual Assault Section is asking for the public’s help in locating 36-year-old Jonathan Inglis. He was declared a long-term offender after committing crimes of a sexual nature and is currently the subject of an arrest warrant for violating several conditions.

Investigators have reason to believe that he could be in Montreal, particularly in Verdun, Pointe-Saint-Charles, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Westmount or downtown.

Inglis is white, English-speaking and can also speak French. He is approximately 5’10” tall, weighs 145 lbs., has brown hair, blue-green eyes and a brown beard.

Anyone with information enabling the location of Jonathan Inglis can go to their local police station, contact the Sexual Assault Section directly at 514-280-8502 or communicate anonymously and confidentially with Info-Crime Montréal at 514 393-1133, or via the reporting form available on the infocrimemontreal.ca website. Rewards of up to $3,000 can be awarded by Info-Crime Montréal for information leading to the arrest of suspects. n

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Ex-DDO coach accused of sexual abuse will stand trial

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Robert Litvack, a former sports coach from Dollard-des-Ormeaux, accused of sexually assaulting a minor in 2021, tried to have the case thrown out based on the argument that he waited too long for the case proceedings to reach a trial. On Thursday, Quebec Court judge Jean-Jacques Gagné rejected the 43-year old’s request citing the Supreme Court of Canada’s established standard acceptable delay in provincial court cases set at 30 months. Litvack was less than two weeks short of the arguments made by his lawyer Claudel Trudeau-Nepton. The trial is set to begin in July.

Trudeau-Nepton argued that the delays put this case close to eight months over the established limit, however Justice Gagné eliminated certain periods from the calculation as it was not attributed to the Crown or institutional delays.

Shortly after Litvack was charged with touching a child under 16 for sexual purposes and sexual assault of a minor, Montreal police issued a press release in hopes of enabling other potential victims to come forward. Via his attorney, Litvack requested that the Crown turn over any related evidence that would justify the release. Significant delays took place as a result as the Crown prepared to move forward. Justice Gagné decided that since the delay was caused by the defence, the time period would be withdrawn from the calculation of overall delays related to Litvack’s request for dismissal. n

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