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CBC
12-05-2025
- CBC
'Why did this happen to me?': Young sexual assault victim speaks at man's sentencing
Social Sharing WARNING: This story contains details of a sexual assault against a child. A young girl and her parents say their trust is forever broken after she was sexually assaulted by Terrance Soucy, 52, of Apohaqui, while he was a guest in their home. "I trusted him so much, and now it's really hard for me to trust people," the victim told the Court of King's Bench in Saint John on Monday, reading her victim impact statement aloud. "I only feel safe with my family and my best friend," she said. A jury found Soucy guilty April 1 of sexual assault, sexual touching and invitation to sexual touching. During his testimony, Soucy described himself as a karate instructor. Social media posts indicate he was also a baseball coach and that he served on the executive of Sussex Minor Hockey. 4 incidents in 2023 A publication ban is in place to protect the identity of the girl, who was under the age of 10 when the incidents occurred. Clutching a blanket and a teddy bear, she previously testified that Soucy touched her private parts under her clothing on four separate occasions in 2023. In each instance, she said, she was playing a video game on a computer in her family's living room when Soucy sat down beside her. Felt sad, scared, confused "What happened to me made me feel really sad, scared, and confused," the victim said Monday, during Soucy's sentencing hearing. "I kept asking myself, 'Why did this happen to me?' I felt mad and hurt inside," she said. "For a long time, I thought what he did was somehow my fault." She wore big hoodies to try to hide her body, she said. "I didn't want anyone to look at me. … I didn't want to be seen." She cried a lot, didn't eat much because her stomach "hurt all the time," and suffered night terrors. At school, she had a hard time focusing, and she was too afraid to go anywhere else because she feared she would see him, she said. "Just hearing his name made me feel really nervous and shaky." Entire family affected, mother says The entire family has been affected, the girl's mother told the court. They all had to watch her "go through something no child should ever have to face." "I saw her pull away from us, have emotional outbursts, and cry uncontrollably," she said, noting she got called at work two or three times a week to pick her up from school or help calm her down, and drove her to numerous medical appointments in Fredericton to try to "figure out what was going on with her." I watched my little girl slowly lose parts of who she used to be. - Victim's mother "I watched my little girl slowly lose parts of who she used to be." The ordeal has also had a "huge impact" on her personally — emotionally, physically and financially, she said. She needed a prescription to help with anxiety and counselling to help her understand this wasn't her fault. "I let Terry into our home," the mother said. "I trusted him. … And he broke that trust in the worst way. He didn't just hurt us — he tore apart the sense of safety and trust we had. "Now, I struggle to trust anyone. I've built a wall around myself, and honestly, I don't know if I'll ever be able to let it down again." The girl's father said it's been like a nightmare he can't wake up from. Soucy has broken their trust forever, he said. "We will never forget." Crown seeks 6-year sentence Crown prosecutor Michael Blackier is seeking a six-year prison sentence, citing the gravity of the offence, the moral blameworthiness of Soucy, the impact on the victim and her family, and case law, including a Supreme Court of Canada case. "There's a clear message that needs to be sent that for denunciation and deterrence, both specific and general, for the accused and for society, to understand that the courts are going to take a strong approach to this type of offence," he said. Defence lawyer Rod Macdonald argued two years would be an "appropriate sentence," and cautioned against assessing lack of remorse as an aggravating factor, "in a case where a verdict is not accepted and appeal is being contemplated." Soucy speaks Soucy maintains his innocence and reiterated this when he addressed the court Monday. "I have great remorse for how these events have impacted my family, my friends, and my community," he said from the prisoner's box, as four women supporters looked on from the front row. "It is my sincerest hope that the victim receives the assistance she needs to guide her through this and overcome any trauma experienced over the past couple of years," he said. "I acknowledge that I have been convicted of these crimes, but we do not agree with the decision of the jury, and I'll maintain my innocence of these charges." Justice Arthur Doyle set over sentencing until May 20. He previously noted the minimum sentence for each of the charges is one year in jail. Soucy remains remanded in custody. Outside court, the girl's mother told reporters no matter how long a sentence Soucy gets, it's "not going to fix anything." He took a young girl's "innocence away," and it's been "two years of hell" for the family, she said.
CBC
28-03-2025
- CBC
Sussex-area sports coach denies sexually assaulting child under 10
Social Sharing WARNING: This story contains details of an alleged sexual assault on a child. A jury trial in Saint John heard testimony from the young complainant and the accused on Friday. Terrance Soucy, 52, of Apohaqui is on trial on three charges — sexual assault, sexual touching and inviting the complainant to touch him sexually. A publication ban is in place to protect the identity of the girl, who was under the age of 10 when the incidents are alleged to have occurred. Clutching a blanket and a teddy bear, the girl testified in court that Soucy touched her private parts on four separate occasions in 2023 when he was a guest at her family's home. In each instance, she said she was playing the same video game on a computer in her family's living room when Soucy sat down beside her. After the final incident in October 2023, she said she confronted Soucy in messages sent through Facebook, starting with two audio clips that were played for the court. In them, she said, "I was mean to you today 'cause … I don't want you touching me in a bad way." She then sent a typed message that said, "I need to tell cause my dad has cameras on his living room." Soucy replied, "Need to tell what? "Oh my gosh … If I made you feel uncomfortable in any way, I am so sorry. I honestly didn't mean to." The girl responded, "I [do] not care." The complainant wasn't always certain in her testimony about the dates when things are alleged to have happened. After the girl finished testifying Friday morning, Justice Arthur Doyle told the jury that children sometimes perceive the world differently than adults, including dates and lengths of time. Accused took the stand During his testimony, Soucy described himself as a karate instructor. Social media posts indicate he was also a baseball coach and that he served on the executive of Sussex Minor Hockey. He strongly denied each of the allegations against him. "I didn't do it. It's hard to hear, but I didn't do it. I didn't do any of it," he said in court. Under cross-examination, Crown prosecutor Michael Blackier asked him about the messages exchanged through Facebook the day before the incident was reported to police. Soucy said the comments were not about touching the girl. He was the only defence witness called by his lawyer, Rod Macdonald. The jury was sent home until Tuesday morning, when closing arguments are expected to begin. They were told to come with an overnight bag in case they have to be sequestered during deliberations.
CBC
27-03-2025
- CBC
Sussex-area sports coach accused of sexually assaulting child under 10
A Sussex-area man with ties to several minor sports is now on trial in Saint John for allegations that he sexually assaulted a girl under the age of 10. Terrance Soucy, 52, of Apohaqui pleaded not guilty to three charges at the start of his trial on Wednesday. He was charged last year with sexual assault, sexual touching and inviting the complainant to touch him sexually. The offences are alleged to have happened at the girl's home in 2023. A publication ban is in place to protect the identity of the girl. According to Soucy's LinkedIn profile, he is a karate instructor. Other social media posts indicate he was also a baseball coach and that he served on the executive of Sussex Minor Hockey. On Wednesday, 14 jurors were selected to hear the trial. Five days have been set aside. On Thursday morning, they heard from a forensic expert from the RCMP's Ottawa crime lab. Jeff Moy told the jury about two samples taken from the complainant's underwear that were tested for DNA. For one of them, said Moy, the RCMP lab was able to identify male DNA, but it did not match Soucy's. It also didn't match any of the samples in national DNA databanks. Moy said the second sample also contained male DNA but not enough to create a profile. Agreed statement of facts An agreed statement of facts between the Crown and defence lawyer Rod Macdonald describes a get-together at the complainant's home in the fall of 2023. During that visit, both sides agree that Soucy was in the same room as the girl while she sat at a computer. An appendix to the statement, a copy of which was provided to the media by the court, showed a screen shot of a Facebook conversation between Soucy and the girl. She messaged, "I need to tell cause my dad has cameras on his living room." Soucy replied, "Need to tell what? "Oh my gosh … If I made you feel uncomfortable in any way, I am so sorry. I honestly didn't mean to." The girl said, "I [do] not care." Girl's mother testifies Jurors also heard from the girl's mother, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the complainant. The woman described an event at her home where Soucy was present. She said nothing seemed amiss until Soucy and his wife left. She said her daughter hugged Soucy's wife but wouldn't hug him. She said she talked to her daughter after the Soucys left. As a result of that conversation, the mother called child protective services and the RCMP the next day. She also took her daughter to see a sexual assault nurse examiner in Saint John.
