Quebec won’t appeal acquittal of writer charged for his scenes of child sex assault

MONTREAL — Quebec won’t appeal the acquittal of an author who was found not guilty of producing child pornography last year in connection with fiction scenes in his horror novel.

The Supreme Court of Canada refused last week to hear an appeal from Quebec’s attorney general, who had sought to appeal aspects of the lower court ruling.

Last September’s decision by Quebec Superior Court Justice Marc-Andre Blanchard said parts of Canada’s child pornography laws violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms because they place an unreasonable limit on freedom of expression. 

The Supreme Court said it didn’t have jurisdiction to hear the case, opening the door for Quebec to appeal the decision at the province’s Court of Appeal.

The attorney general’s office said in an email Tuesday it wasn’t planning further legal proceedings in the case.

Blanchard acquitted author Yvan Godbout and his publisher, Editions ADA, on charges of producing and distributing child pornography related to descriptions of sexual assault of a child in his novel “Hansel and Gretel.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2021.

The Canadian Press