3 teens charged with sexual assault released into custody of parents
Three teenagers accused of participating in a sexual assault in Montreal North last month have been granted bail and released into the custody of their parents.
The two boys and a girl, aged between 13 and 16, appeared in youth court Wednesday afternoon.
All three are facing charges of sexual assault as well as possession, distribution and production of child pornography.
The alleged assault of a 13-year-old girl happened at a house party in Montreal North on March 24.
The incident was filmed and distributed on social media platforms WhatsApp and Snapchat.
A fourth boy is set to appear in youth court Thursday in connection with the incident. He has not yet been charged.
Bail conditions
The two boys' mothers and the girl's father each agreed to accept responsibility for ensuring their children stayed with them at home and met several bail conditions.
The conditions include staying at home at all times except to go to school, and for one of the boys accused, to soccer practice.
They are also prohibited from using the internet, social media sites including Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat and cannot have cellphones with internet access.
The parents are required to report their children to police if they break conditions. If not, the parents could be subject to charges themselves.
Despite the strict conditions, the alleged victim in the case may still run into the suspects at her school.
Defence lawyer Tiago Murias confirmed to reporters that at least one of the teenaged suspects attends the same school as the alleged victim.
The conditions for all three accused include a list of people they are not supposed to have contact with, including the alleged victim.
And while both the Crown and the defence said that every effort will be made to prevent the alleged victim from crossing paths with the accused, they conceded it could happen.
Murias said the rights of the alleged victim to be balanced with the rights of the suspects to attend school.
The three teens will back in court on May 25. None of the people involved can be identified because they are all minors.
