JAC Sexual Assault Case Update

By Ray Zafran
Assistant Editor-in-Chief

Back in 2021, a 17-year-old student from John Abbott College was sexually assaulted by a supervisor working at John Abbott. Now 20-years-old and a ready to overcome this traumatic experience, she is suing the assailant, Boris Stanley Paredes, John Abbott College, and the WMRC (West Montreal Readaption Centre) where he was employed.

The 61-year-old man pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault on September 3rd 2024 right before he was set to go on trial. Paredes was given a suspended sentence and placed on probation for three years, in addition to being required to complete 240 hours of community service as part of his punishment.

The survivor was a social science student who was required to take a psychology course where she had to participate in a program that pairs students with adults with special needs. Paredes was the supervisor of said program and would offer her “pressure point massages” to relieve stress. On November 9th 2021, she had gone to his office to talk about an upsetting family matter. Paredes had offered her another “massage,” and, according to the lawsuit, he also locked the door, dimmed the lights, put on music, and told her to lie down on her back on his desk. He proceeded to non consensually massage the student all over their body, sexually harassing them for almost 75 minutes.

The assault impacted the student severely, leading her to drop out of school, take drugs, attempt suicide, get panic attacks and have PTSD. The attorney representing the survivor stated that John Abbott College bears responsibility for damages due to Paredes’ actions taking place on school grounds. At the time of the assault, SART (the CEGEP’s Sexual Assault Resource Team) claims to have taken quick action in supporting the survivor. The supervisor was removed immediately from the WMRC (West Montreal Readaption Centre) and is now carrying out his punishment, though he is not facing jail time.