By The Canadian Press on June 26, 2023.
PERCÉ, Que. – A Quebec provincial police spokesman is facing three criminal charges after allegedly sexually assaulting a minor in 1988, before he joined the police force. Sgt. Claude Doiron appeared in court today in Percé, in the Gaspesie region, to be charged with sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference towards a child who was less than 14 years old. According to the charge sheet, the alleged crimes took place between May and September 1988 in Cloridorme, on the Gaspé peninsula. Doiron, now 60, was 25 years old at the time, and Quebec provincial police say he had not yet joined the force. A lawyer for Doiron said his client did not enter a plea, and the case is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 29. Doiron has regularly appeared in the media since 2012, when he was named provincial police spokesman for the Gaspésie and Bas-Saint-Laurent regions. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2023. 8