Former Laval school principal pleads guilty to child luring

A former Laval school principal pleaded guilty to a charge of child luring during a court appearance Monday.

Harold Vallée, 53, has also been charged with sexual assault and sexual exploitation, two offences for which he has not yet submitted a plea.

Vallée is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl. The allegations, including the assault charge, stem from events the Crown says took place between July 31 and Aug. 9, 2017.

He is alleged to have made comments about the girl's body during a dinner party. Vallée then allegedly texted her several sexually explicit messages over the course of several days and later groped her.

Vallée was arrested Aug. 22, 2017 and released on conditions, including that he must respect a curfew.

Vallée was the principal of the Centre de qualification professionnelle et d'entrepreneuriat de Laval, a school for people between the ages of 15 and 24.

The Commission scolaire de Laval (CSDL), Laval's French school board, said that the victim was not a student at the centre at the time of the incident.

The former principal has since been relieved of his duties.

Vallée is expected back in court Jan. 11.