Longueuil woman arrested again after Black child, 10, scalded with boiling water

The re-arrest of Stéphanie Borel, 46, comes after complaints from a lobby group that fights racism and discrimination. Author of the article: Paul Cherry  •  Montreal Gazette Published Oct 11, 2024  •  Last updated 3 days ago  •  2 minute read

 A 46-year-old Longueuil woman was re-arrested Friday by local police in connection with an assault earlier this month on a 10-year-old boy that saw the victim deliberately scalded with boiling water.
Stéphanie Borel was originally taken into custody Oct. 2, when police investigated a complaint she had thrown boiling water on the boy after he used her property as a shortcut. She was released by police after signing a promise to appear in court in January.
However, Longueuil police announced Friday morning Borel had been re-arrested to face a charge of assault in connection with the Oct. 2 incident.
Borel made a brief appearance before a Quebec Court judge Friday afternoon through a video conference connecting the Longueuil courthouse to Longueuil police headquarters where she was was detained. A prosecutor announced the Crown objects to Borel’s release and the judge agreed to schedule her bail hearing for Wednesday.
The judge ordered Borel not communicate with three minors, including the boy, while her case is pending.
Borel is charged with assault causing bodily harm on Oct. 2.
“Due to the concern raised in the neighbourhood and from the school attended by the young victim, the Longueuil police took measures to reassure the community. The Assistance Centre for Victims of Crime (CAVAC) was put in contact with the victim’s family, and Longueuil police investigators, as well as agents from the Prevention, Vigilance and Community Relations Section (SPVRC), liaised with school and school service centre officials,” the police said in a release. “In addition, an increased police presence was deployed in the neighbourhood to reassure residents near the scene of the incident.”
In 2021, Borel was charged at the Longueuil courthouse with assault, but she was acquitted the following year when she agreed to sign a peace bond.
While Longueuil police did not immediately provide an explanation as to why Borel had been arrested again, her treatment during her first arrest raised indignation on the part of the child’s family as well as the Red Coalition, a lobby group that fights racism and discrimination.
In a letter sent Thursday to Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier and police Chief Marc Leduc, the group noted the victim in the case is Black and the decision to delay the suspect’s court appearance until the new year “sends a harmful message to the Black community, racialized individuals and all residents of this city: that there are different standards of justice depending on who the victim is.
“We ask you to consider, for a moment, if the roles had been reversed — if a Black man had thrown boiling water on a 10-year-old white girl. It is hard to imagine that he would have been allowed to go free while awaiting trial. Instead, he would likely have been detained immediately, facing serious legal consequences from the outset. By failing to remand this suspect, the authorities seem to be signalling that crimes against Black and racialized individuals are not treated with the same level of seriousness.”