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QUEBEC CITY - Three Quebec City police officers are facing criminal charges stemming from an incident in which a convicted 61-year-old pedophile was beaten by two inmates in a prison van.
Frank Berton, 38, Geoffrey Magher, 25, and Ariane Chretien-Castonguay, 23, have each been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm and having been involved in assault causing injuries.
The charges were laid Tuesday, the same day QMI Agency reported the story.
The three officers will appear in Quebec court on April 21.
On Aug. 28, the alleged victim - who had previously been convicted of sexual assault and possession of child pornography - was under police guard at the Parc Victoria police station with two other prisoners.
After learning from a police officer that the two other men would be driven to the courthouse ³with a pedophile², the two young men allegedly expressed their desire to beat the man and asked police to turn a blind eye.
When the three men were put into an elevator, the two younger prisoners were allegedly told by an officer ³not here!² when they began to show signs of aggression towards the older man.
Once in the prison van, however, the older man found himself sitting between the two other prisoners who then allegedly beat him. The man suffered head injuries that required stitches.
Prosecutor Sonia Rouleau, who normally works out of Saguenay, Que., was handed the case instead of a Quebec City prosecutor for reasons of transparency. She also has previous experience in cases involving police, having worked on the case of a Quebec officer accused of assault in 2005.
The three officers charged in this case could face discharge from the force if convicted.