Quebec’s anti-homophobia and anti-discrimination agency, Métis-Initiative Bernard-Brossard (MIB-B) announced on Friday that it had filed charges against a Member of the Royal Canadian Air Cadet program, a youth organization in Canada, for the alleged sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl in Petitgne in November 2015.
This follows a decision in October to bring charges against an instructor within the Montreal Police Service’s homeless youth group for the alleged sexual assault of three teens that happened between 2010 and 2014.
According to MIB-B, the victim was on her way to a rugby game when she was allegedly assaulted by this man and three other men. The victim’s father, Richard Beamish, complained about the alleged assault at the time of its occurrence, with all four men involved, aged in their late teens, then being members of the cadet program. Despite having initially filed a complaint, the alleged victim did not give a detailed statement after the initial incident. Beamish has since reported the incident, as well as the Internet threats that his daughter has received since coming forward.
The victims who were also involved reported that they had been verbally and physically assaulted by the cadet instructor, Paul Hubert, as well as one of the other boys involved. Hubert, along with the three other boys, was eventually convicted for the assault against the three other victims in a court case earlier this year. Hubert and the three other boys were ordered to undergo sex offender counselling, provide DNA samples and were placed on a lifetime registry of offenders.
Hubert was arrested just days before Christmas 2014 for unlawful confinement. He and the three other boys had been involved in a scuffle with a group of boys and girls at a middle school before they reportedly grabbed three teenage girls by the arms and restrained them while rifling through their pockets. They also attempted to sexually assault two of the girls who had arrived on a school bus.
Hubert’s alleged abuse against the girls had nothing to do with his employment as a cadet.
Hubert’s name was never released by MIB-B. The organization’s director, Helen McGeoch, said that Hubert had been removed from the cadet program when the organization learned about the allegations in 2015. Hubert and the other two boys were also removed from the program after the offences were discovered.
“Both [the Cadet program] and the Métis-Initiative took these incidents very seriously,” said McGeoch. “If the first incident was as it appeared, with allegations about assault and sexual assault, then clearly we thought it was in the best interest of all involved for them to be removed from the program.”
Hubert had been teaching at a student technical centre until last week. He has since been removed from any legal responsibilities and is living with his parents.
Hubert had served as a cadet instructor in at least two counties since 2003. He taught in Longueuil and Burin.
“It is terrible,” said McGeoch. “The Cadet Program is one of those life-long resources that you find very helpful. With it comes the opportunity to learn about international cultures and some military.
“This is part of what we are trying to protect in terms of young people and young people’s future,” McGeoch said. “If they don’t have an opportunity to receive this basic training as part of their education, then it’s a barrier that will lie with them for the rest of their lives. It’s an absolute negative.”
Two other cadet instructors have been placed on administrative leave while the MIB investigates Hubert, and one other cadet instructor has been suspended as well.
McGeoch said that she hopes to meet with Hubert this month, along with the other victims of Hubert’s alleged abuse.
It is believed that Hubert met and befriended the former victims of his alleged abuse in the cadet program by offering them the opportunity to go to bed with him, whether willingly or against their will. He is alleged to have traded them for drinks and marijuana with no reason to believe he was doing anything wrong at the time.
He was arrested Friday and faces two counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual assault with a weapon.