Quebec woman accused of pouring boiling water over Black boy may soon face trial
Warning: This story contains graphic content.
The case of a Quebec woman accused of throwing boiling water on a Black child was back in court on Tuesday.
Forty-six-year-old Stephanie Borel was charged with aggravated assault after being accused of dousing a 10-year-old boy with scalding hot water last October in Longueuil, Que., on Montreal’s south shore.
At the time, the boy’s family told Global News the child walked through Borel’s lawn on his way home from school with friends.
They said sometimes he would ring her doorbell and run away — a common prank among children.
The boy’s family said they were shocked when the woman allegedly threw boiling water on the child from her balcony in retaliation, causing severe burns.
“This act cannot be tolerated and will never be accepted,” said the family’s lawyer, Farrah Auguste.
Auguste was a stranger to the family until the alleged attack. She says when she heard about the story that stunned the community, she decided to help.
The accused is out on bail and did not appear in person at her latest court date. The judge is however demanding her in-person presence at the next hearing this fall.
“At (her next) court date, we can expect that she will either announce her intentions to plead guilty or ask for a trial,” said Crown prosecutor Gabriella St-Onge.
Auguste told Global that the boy’s family is hoping she pleads guilty so that “justice can be rendered and they can move on with their lives.”
Members of the Black community told Global News last October that they were outraged that Borel got bail.
The child’s family was in attendance at court on Tuesday and said they are growing impatient with how long it’s taking the proceedings to move ahead. The family is upset that nine months after the incident, the accused still hasn’t even entered a plea.
But the Crown doesn’t think the delay is excessive. “It’s a complicated case; the evidence is (important),” St-Onge said.
The evidence includes statements from other children and medical reports. It also includes the court-mandated therapy sessions the accused has been attending.
“Taking the time to boil hot water and throw it on a child is outrageous,” the family’s lawyer told Global at the courthouse.
Auguste said she believes there was racial motivation behind the attack. The Crown told reporters there’s no proof of that claim.
The accused’s next court date is scheduled for Sept. 25.
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