Shayne Corson's son sentenced to jail time for sex assault of 15-year-old girl
Noah-Lee Jetté-Corson, 27, is a former Quebec Major Junior Hockey League player
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Former Quebec Major Junior Hockey League player Noah-Lee Jetté-Corson was sentenced Monday to a prison term for sexually assaulting a minor along with two other teenagers.
Quebec Court Judge Paul Dunnigan delivered his decision at the Drummondville courthouse and sentenced Jetté-Corson, 27, the son of former Montreal Canadien Shayne Corson, to a prison term of two years less a day. Shayne Corson played for the Canadiens between 1985 and 1992.
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Jetté-Corson was playing for the Drummondville Voltigeurs, part of the QMJHL, when the sexual assault occurred in late 2016.
The Crown had asked for a 30-month prison term, while the defence sought a sentence Jetté-Corson could serve in the community.
“The court takes note of the perceptions of the author of (a) pre-sentencing report (prepared for the case) as to how the accused’s environment of belonging was that of hockey, how its internal culture could have tainted his thinking or how popularity and success could have left in place a sense of impunity and a certain objectification of women,” the judge wrote in his decision.
The person who prepared the report also found Jetté-Corson had a distorted view of “the openness toward sexuality of others, especially young women.”
The victim, who was 15 years old when she was sexually assaulted by Jetté-Corson and two 17-year-old males in her bedroom, told the court she suffered from “intense depression” after being raped and had to be treated in a hospital by a psychiatrist. She also told the court that being sexually assaulted by three males has had a “catastrophic impact on her sex life.”
On Feb. 9, 2024, Jetté-Corson was found guilty of committing a sexual assault with another person. He is currently appealing the verdict.
During Jetté-Corson’s trial, the defence argued he believed the girl was older than 15 and therefore above the age of consent. When he testified, he told the court that on the night in question, one of the 17-year-olds, also a hockey player, invited him to what he assumed was the girl’s apartment. The girl was actually living with her mother and two siblings in the apartment, but was alone at the time. Jetté-Corson also testified that the girl acted like it was her apartment.
While the girl testified that the three hockey players headed to her bedroom as soon as they arrived, Jetté-Corson said they had a discussion first at a table. During that conversation, Jetté-Corson claimed, the girl mentioned having gone to the same bar in Drummondville that he had previously been to. He said this was another reason why he assumed the girl was older than 15.
He also said that when the question of group sex was raised, it was first broached as a joke but that he and the girl and the two other hockey players moved on to her bedroom. Another teenage girl who was present did not participate.
According to the judge’s decision to convict Jetté-Corson, the accounts of the three people who testified during the trial — Jetté-Corson, the victim and one of the 17-year-olds, who previously had sex with the girl — differed significantly when it came to what happened in the bedroom.
The girl said she told all three of the males that she wasn’t interested because she was about to have her period. She also said all three then proceeded to rape her and left her alone and in tears. She also testified that she refused to have sex with all three and gave them a “firm no.”
The teenager who had a previous relationship with the victim said he and the other 17-year-old were having sex with her when Jetté-Corson walked into the room and raped the girl without saying a word. He also said he later noticed the girl was crying and told the court he apologized to her “for what happened.”
When Jetté-Corson testified, he told the court that the girl said “Yes. Go” after they entered the bedroom and someone asked: “Are we going to sleep together?” When he was cross-examined during the trial, he admitted that he never asked the girl how old she was.
The judge ruled that even if Jetté-Corson “sincerely believed” the girl was over 16, that wasn’t enough for a defence. The judge noted that Jetté-Corson didn’t ask about the girl’s age when his friend, the hockey player who had slept with the girl previously, mentioned she was younger than him and that he was in Secondary 5 in high school when the relationship started.
The two 17-year-olds pleaded guilty to sexual assault in youth court.
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