Warning: This story contains graphic details that some readers may find embarrassing.
When Jonathan Lepage speaks of his mother, he must say her full name: Julie Menard.
On Friday morning, Lepage and his brother Sean won their lawsuit to lift the ban on publication, so their mother’s name is now publicly linked to her conviction for incest and sexual assault.
Lifting a ban on publication in case of incest is extremely rare and can only happen if the victim initiates it. The Lepage brothers said they fought to make their case public because they did not want the trauma they suffered at the hands of their mother to remain in the dark.
Menard, a former school bus driver in Ottawa, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in late April.
Jonathan, who protected his brother from some of the same abuses he suffered as a boy, was hoping for a 25-year life sentence.
He has now accepted his name, and his brother’s will also be linked to the abuses he suffered.
“I don’t need protection,” the 35-year-old said Thursday night about lifting the ban.
“My brother Sean doesn’t need protection. We discussed it with disgust that all the ban on publishing is doing now is to protect Julie. [It] protects our mother from exposure. “
WATCH Jonathan Lepage on lifting the ban on publishing:
The ban on publication has been lifted in case of incest, as the sons insist on justice
Jonathan Lepage, 35, says the trial against his mother and the subsequent lifting of the ban on publishing made him feel “heard” after experiencing years of sexual abuse by his mother as a child. 1:00 p.m.
2017 legal issues
Court documents detail a series of horrific sexual abuses, often involving Menard calling for a “nap time,” and Jonathan knows what is expected of him.
He said his mother told him that these sexual activities were normal between mother and son, but after having sex with his mother when he was 15, he felt that things were not right.
“We went down to the living room and it just hit me,” he recalls.
Menard’s actions might never have come to light if it weren’t for Jonathan himself clashing with the law in 2017, when he was indicted and jailed after his marriage broke down.
While his own trial was underway, Jonathan told a probation officer about the abuse he had suffered, and court officials offered to help.
Other children may have been victims
Jonathan wants his mother’s name to be made public so that the truth can be spread because she has been a school bus driver for many years.
Julie Menard, a former school bus driver in Ottawa, was sentenced in April to 10 years in prison for incest and sexual assault on her two sons. (Submitted by Jonathan Lepage)
“[She] “I had a close relationship with a lot of students whose names I don’t know,” Jonathan said. “And honestly, if something happened, no one would even know how to pick it up.”
Ottawa police issued a press release Friday afternoon as investigators believe there may be other victims of Menard, who is currently facing no further charges.
In a courtroom in Ottawa on Friday, royal lawyer Moiz Karimji told the brothers that there is no going back once the ban is lifted.
Ontario Supreme Court Justice Judge Kevin Phillips also emphasized this point: “You can’t ring the bell.”
Menard opposed the lifting of the ban, which is usually applied to protect victims, not defendants.
The younger brother hopes to help others by lifting the ban
Sean Lepage, 34, also appeared in court on Friday in favor of lifting the ban.
“Personally, I feel that these talks may be necessary to help others in their situations,” he told the court.
According to court documents, Sean was not subjected to the same harassment as his brother, but he testified to numerous cases of physical violence that began when he was three years old, including severe bruises from his mother’s beatings.
Jonathan remembers being between seven and nine when he first stood up for his younger brother. He said his mother invited Sean with a sexual touch and Jonathan knew it wasn’t right.
“There was just something about it right now,” Jonathan said. “Like, no, my brother can’t go through that either.”
The judge praised the brothers
Jonathan said that regardless of the length of his mother’s sentence, those years spent will never cure what was done to him.
“It won’t take away the trauma, the pain, the experiences I’ve been through. It won’t fix the relationships that were broken because of the trauma and the experiences I’ve had.”
He also acknowledged that “experiencing and reviewing” his experience would not be easy, but he accepted the burden to hopefully inspire all other potential victims.
“If it encourages them to take a step forward, it’s phenomenal,” he said.
In court on Friday, Phillips also told the brothers that they had “suffered the most condemnation” but were “motivated by a desire to help others.”
“You shed light on the type of atrocities that take place in private, so that others who suffer bad things may not feel so lonely and powerless,” he told the court.
“One hopes that through the candid and open way you choose to navigate your unfortunate circumstances, you will be able to better overcome your experience.”
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