Seven: Child Witnesses - 'By Psychological Definition... A Disservice to the True End of Justice': Soulière, 1951-52

• Author: Constance Backhouse
• Pages: 165-192



Chapter

CHILDWITNESSESBY

PSYCHOLOGICAL DEFINITION . . .

A DISSERVICE TO THE TRUE END

OFJUSTICESoulière

MThasbeenchangedtoprotectherprivacywas

barelyveyearsoldShebravelystoodupastallasshecouldmusterbut

her slight frame must have been dwarfed by the witness box in the impos

ingcourtroominHullQuébeconDecemberThetaleshehadtotell

wasshockingbutsadlycommonplaceShepointedtofortysevenyearold

OvilaSoulièreandidentiedhimasthemanwhohadsexuallyassaulted

herinthelatesummerofFewrecordssurviveforthiscasemakingit

diculttoreconstructthenarrativeindetailHowevertheresultisknown

OvilaSoulièrewasconvictedattrialaverdictthatwaslaterquashedbythe

QuébecCourtofAppeal Despite the skeletal factual record, Marie Trem

blayscaseprovidesausefulillustrationofthedicultiesfacingchildvic

timsandanopportunitytoexplorethedoctrineofcorroborationoneof

the most signicant hurdles facing sexua l assault complainants It is also

fascinating for what it reveals about the perspectives of judges, jurors, legal

theoristsandsocalledexpertsaboutthecredibilityofwomenandchildren

who claimed to be sexually assaulted.

AtleastsomeofthefactscanbediscernedMarieTremblaysparentswere

separatedShesharedatwostoreyhouseinSouthHullwithhermotherand

Ovila Soulière The French phrase viv ant marita lement was t ranslated in

the English report of the decision to descr ibe the couple as living “in concu

binageWhetherOvilaSoulièresstatusasMmeTremblaysloverpredated

orpostdatedhermaritalbreakdownwasamaerofspeculationWhatever

ﾅﾊﾊCarnalCrimes

thesituationasthejudgeswouldnoteitlelileMarieTremblaydansun

trèsmauvaismilieuinaverybadenvironment

OvilaJosephSoulièrewashimselfmarriedtoAdrienneCôtéwhomhe

had wedi n nearby Deschênes in A workingclass labourer f roma n

Outaouais family of unskilled labourers, Ovila held down a variety of jobs

thatoccasionallytookhimacrosstherivertoOawaasalabourerwiththe

federal district commission, and as a shipping clerk with an instrument re

pairrmHedeniedMarieTremblaysassertionsthathehadawakenedher

inherbedroomonthegroundoorofthehouseandabusedhersexually

“JairienàdiredutoutsurlesujetdelapetitejesuisinnocentdelachoseJeconnais

riendelachoseparcequelapetitellejeluiaijamaistouchéIhavenothing

atalltosayonthesubjectofthelilegirlIaminnocentoftheaairIknow

nothingaboutthemaerbecauseIhavenevertouchedthelilegirlMaries

mother sided with her paramour, insisting that Ovila had never sexually

molested her daughter. She claimed that Marie slept in a bedroom next to

hersandnotonthegroundoorasthelilegirlhadsaidandthatOvilahad

neverlehisbedtogotoMaries

Hullwasabluecollarpredominantlyfrancophonetownonthenorth

shoreoftheOawaRiveracrossfromthenationalcapitalofOawaIni

tiallyseledbyanglophoneNewEnglandersitaltereditscompositionin

themidswhenFrenchCanadianindustrialworkersdisplacedtheearly

agriculturalselersAseriesofcatastrophicreswreakeddevastationupon

Hullsarch itectural pretensions culm inating with the Great Fire of 

whichlevelledtwothirdsofthepredominantlywoodenbuildingsNewsaw

millssteelfoundrieslumberingmeatpackingandtextileindustriesblos

somed, crowned by the E.B. Eddy factories perched on the edge of the river.

DuringProhibitionworkingclassHulldevelopedabeertownreputation

andwasdubbedLileChicagobyrevellersfromOntariowhocrossedby

ferrytodrinkandgambleinspeakeasiesonJacquesCartierStreetButthe

citysindustrialinfrastructurebegantocrumblebythesandinferior

housingandworkertenementsreectedthestarkpovertyandunemploy

mentofmostresidentsInHullwasstagnatingacitythathadseen

andwouldseebeerdays

Child Sexual Abuse

S  been a terrifying reality for Canadian children,

both male and female. Contrary to the opinion of modern commentators,