A man charged with numerous indecent assault charges dating back from his time as a boys’ dormitory supervisor at the Beauval Indian Residential School in the 1960’s, was forced to discuss his previous criminal record while under cross-examination Monday.
Paul Leroux, who has remained calm throughout much of the trial, began to shift slightly back and forth as he answered questions about previous convictions for sexual assault regarding time spent as a dorm supervisor at a residential school in Inuvik during the 1970’s.
Crown prosecutor Mitch Piché says Leroux’s existing criminal record draws into question the “fatherly figure” image the former dorm supervisor has tried to portray throughout the trial.
“Given that he opened his character in this trial to cross-examination, I was allowed to go into the circumstances of those offences and that’s what I was doing,” he says. “And that goes to show that he’s not telling the truth when he tries to lead the court to believe that he’s a good person.”
Piché adds Leroux’s memory of events that occurred close to 50 years ago is so detailed and specific that it is difficult to believe he is telling the truth.
While on the stand, Piché also questioned the former dorm supervisor as to why if he had nothing to hide, he destroyed all of his photos and magazines when he left northern Canada in 1979.
Leroux, who is representing himself at the trial and continues to deny all allegations against him, will make his final arguments in a Battlefords courtroom on Tuesday morning.