antiquity
12-19-2002, 06:38 AM
Father denies incest with daughter
Witnesses twisted truth, he says. Accused also admits to 'cyber-sex' liaison with paraplegic woman from DrummondvilleÂ*
PAUL CHERRY
The Gazette
Wednesday, December 18, 2002
Standing with his arms crossed, appearing defiant and sometimes embarrassed, a Magog man charged with sexually assaulting his daughter denied yesterday he ever committed incest.
Renald Côté, 51, told a jury his daughter Isabelle lied when she made a videotaped statement for the police, alleging she had been sexually assaulted by her father and two brothers.
"What related to me (in the statement) was lies," Côté said of the daughter, who he called "Sisi." He added he felt his daughter was telling the truth about being raped by her brothers Serge, 24, and Donald, 27.
"What she said about you, on her deathbed, while she was fighting cancer, those were lies?" crown prosecutor Hélène Fabi asked in cross-examination.
"Yes," Côté replied.
His sons testified against him during the trial and supported Isabelle's allegations about their father. Both have been charged separately with similar crimes.
Isabelle Côté died five months ago at age 22. It was during June 2001 that she accused her father of incest, sodomy and sexual assault during her childhood and while she was in a Sherbrooke hospital, fighting cancer.
Isabelle was left weak by her battle and got around in a wheelchair. Witnesses said they saw Côté kiss his daughter passionately as well as fondle her breasts and place his fingers inside her shorts.
"They're not liars but they twisted the truth," Côté said of the witnesses. The father said the kisses lasted no more than two seconds. "They were special kisses, since my daughter was sick. I knew she was going to go."
When asked about an incident where witnesses saw Côté stick his hand inside her daughter's shorts for several minutes while they sat in the smoking section of the hospital, the father said he was simply resting his left arm, which was badly injured in a 1999 car accident.
"Is it more comfortable for you to rest your hand inside her shorts?" Fabi asked.
"Only my fingers were inside," he answered.
The car accident left him depressed, Côté said during questioning by his lawyer, Pierre Gagnon, adding he took medication for the depression and experienced side effects. "They affected my libido. . . . I know this will raise eyebrows. But I no longer get erections."
But then Côté admitted in questioning by Fabi that he was involved in a "cyber-sex" relationship on the Internet last year with a paraplegic woman from Drummondville. He acknowledged he once masturbated in front of a camera positioned on top of his computer and the images were sent back to the Drummondville woman's computer.
"I did it. But it was to know if I was a man or half a man." He sometimes helped the woman travel to the hospital, he added.
He also said he went to the woman's home, where she performed fellatio on him. "So this woman was in a wheelchair, like your daughter was?" Fabi asked.
"Yes," Côté said. "She was a person I could help."
pcherry@thegazette.southam.ca
http://www.canada.com/montreal/news/story.asp?id={CC4ED44D-85EF-41BF-9250-C1A47CDBAD4A}
Witnesses twisted truth, he says. Accused also admits to 'cyber-sex' liaison with paraplegic woman from DrummondvilleÂ*
PAUL CHERRY
The Gazette
Wednesday, December 18, 2002
Standing with his arms crossed, appearing defiant and sometimes embarrassed, a Magog man charged with sexually assaulting his daughter denied yesterday he ever committed incest.
Renald Côté, 51, told a jury his daughter Isabelle lied when she made a videotaped statement for the police, alleging she had been sexually assaulted by her father and two brothers.
"What related to me (in the statement) was lies," Côté said of the daughter, who he called "Sisi." He added he felt his daughter was telling the truth about being raped by her brothers Serge, 24, and Donald, 27.
"What she said about you, on her deathbed, while she was fighting cancer, those were lies?" crown prosecutor Hélène Fabi asked in cross-examination.
"Yes," Côté replied.
His sons testified against him during the trial and supported Isabelle's allegations about their father. Both have been charged separately with similar crimes.
Isabelle Côté died five months ago at age 22. It was during June 2001 that she accused her father of incest, sodomy and sexual assault during her childhood and while she was in a Sherbrooke hospital, fighting cancer.
Isabelle was left weak by her battle and got around in a wheelchair. Witnesses said they saw Côté kiss his daughter passionately as well as fondle her breasts and place his fingers inside her shorts.
"They're not liars but they twisted the truth," Côté said of the witnesses. The father said the kisses lasted no more than two seconds. "They were special kisses, since my daughter was sick. I knew she was going to go."
When asked about an incident where witnesses saw Côté stick his hand inside her daughter's shorts for several minutes while they sat in the smoking section of the hospital, the father said he was simply resting his left arm, which was badly injured in a 1999 car accident.
"Is it more comfortable for you to rest your hand inside her shorts?" Fabi asked.
"Only my fingers were inside," he answered.
The car accident left him depressed, Côté said during questioning by his lawyer, Pierre Gagnon, adding he took medication for the depression and experienced side effects. "They affected my libido. . . . I know this will raise eyebrows. But I no longer get erections."
But then Côté admitted in questioning by Fabi that he was involved in a "cyber-sex" relationship on the Internet last year with a paraplegic woman from Drummondville. He acknowledged he once masturbated in front of a camera positioned on top of his computer and the images were sent back to the Drummondville woman's computer.
"I did it. But it was to know if I was a man or half a man." He sometimes helped the woman travel to the hospital, he added.
He also said he went to the woman's home, where she performed fellatio on him. "So this woman was in a wheelchair, like your daughter was?" Fabi asked.
"Yes," Côté said. "She was a person I could help."
pcherry@thegazette.southam.ca
http://www.canada.com/montreal/news/story.asp?id={CC4ED44D-85EF-41BF-9250-C1A47CDBAD4A}