Montreal Alouettes' fullback Christophe Normand charged with luring a minor for sexual purposes

Montreal Alouettes’ fullback Christophe Normand is facing two summary charges of luring a minor for sexual purposes, according to a new report from Pascal Faucher of La Voix de l’Est.

Normand was arrested at his home on Thursday morning and made his first court appearance via videoconference on Friday. He pled not guilty.

The charges stem from incidents that allegedly occurred on August 9 in Bromont, Quebec in relation to a single victim. Normand is accused of communicating electronically with a person under the age of 16 for the purposes of facilitating an offence of a sexual nature against them.

The minimum sentence for that crime is six months in prison.

The Alouettes issued the following statement late Friday night:

“The Montreal Alouettes have been made aware of the allegations regarding Christophe Normand. The organization is taking this matter seriously and is trying to gather as much information as possible. The Alouettes will make no further comment at the moment.”

When not playing football, Normand has previously been employed as a teacher. During the pandemic, he worked with autistic students at Waterloo Secondary School and has also taught at Marieville Secondary School in Montérégie.

Normand was released pending trial under a number of conditions, including the seizure of all his electronic devices. He is banned from accessing the internet and being in the presence of a minor without another adult present. He may not go to parks, daycare centres, or other places where he might communicate with the complainant.

The 30-year-old fullback has spent seven seasons in the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Edmonton Elks, and the Alouettes. He has dressed for all ten of Montreal’s games in 2022, recording one special teams tackle.