Judge Jean-Paul Braun is under fire for for saying an “overweight” 17-year-old girl was a “little flattered” by the attention she received from the man accused of assaulting her.
The Quebec-based Judge made the comments in May as he heard allegations of sexual assault against taxi cab driver, Carlo Figaro. According to the victim’s testimony, on the night of the assault in 2015, Figaro, 49, stopped his car near her home and licked her face. She pushed him away but he managed to touch her breasts and genitals over her clothing and unbuttoned her shirt, the CBC reported.
Figaro denied that any sexual contact had occurred and claimed the victim had rubbed the back of his head while he was driving.
“You could say she’s a little overweight, but she has a pretty face, huh?” Braun said, per a recording obtained by Journal de Montreal.
Braun also commented that the victim might have flirted with Figaro because he “looks good” had “nice manners” and “liked to wear cologne.”
Provincial Justice Minster Stephanie Vallee called the remarks “unacceptable” and filed a complaint.
Meanwhile, it’s the not first time Judge Braun has found himself in hot water. Per the BBC, he once told a 19-year-old who said she had her breasts grabbed that it wasn’t the “crime of the century.”
Judge Braun found Figaro guilty. He is appealing the verdict.
