Photographer Roland Lachance accused of sexual assault on minors

Roland Lachance, a Quebec City photographer known for taking pictures of the world's biggest stars for 50 years, faces charges of sexual acts allegedly committed against two alleged minor victims.

Better known under the name of Roland de Quebec, the 86 year old man will appear in court on May 9th. According to the arrest warrant, of which Le Journal obtained a copy, the octogenarian is charged with indecent assault, gross indecency, sexual assault and having "for sexual purposes, touched a part of the body 'of a teenager to whom he was in a position of authority or trust.

Better known as Roland de Quebec, Roland Lachance, who has photographed the world's biggest stars, faces four sexual charges. In this picture, we see the octogenarian on the front page of a collection of his photos.

The facts alleged against Mr. Lachance occurred in Quebec in the summer of 1977 and between January 1, 1992 and December 31, 1993. The alleged victims, male, were minor at the time, while were 15 years old and 16 years old.

"False" accusations

The photographer, well known in Quebec for taking pictures of many stars such as Edith Piaf and Celine Dion, refuted the accusations "false" against him. In an interview with the Journal , he claims to be upset since proceedings were started.

"I do not feel guilty about anything, nothing, nothing," he said in a telephone conversation. "The facts that I am accused of, it's been 43 years and I will defend myself as much as I can," he adds.

The #Moiaussi wave

One of the two alleged victims of Roland Lachance told the Journal to have taken the decision to denounce his alleged aggressor in the wake of the movement #Moiaussi

"I kicked in the back. I was at the police station a good twenty times before I decided to enter and denounce, "shares the man whose identity is protected by law. "It's good to talk about it, but it's more painful since my denunciation," admits the one who supports plunging into unpleasant memories.

Teenager at the time, the alleged victim wanted to break into the field of music and it is in this context that the photographer would have offered to help him.