Aylmer’s celebrated blind-deaf marathon runner found guilty of sexual assault 

Sophie Demers

Gaston Bédard, was celebrated as a successful marathon runner while being completely blind and deaf. However, the runner was found guilty of sexual assault by the Quebec court. 

The 17-year-old victim was aiding Bédard by accompanying him on his run as a running guide, which he needed to run outdoors. The victim met the runner at his home, where he commented that her cotton shirt was not suitable for the runner, offering her a running jersey. The incident occurred when the victim changed her shirt, and he touched her breasts without her consent while stating that he had not seen a woman’s body in over 10 years. 

The behaviour continued during their run when Bébard made sexual comments, asked questions about her private life, and touched the victim’s breast and buttocks. 

Bébard denied the accusations stating that the conversation did not occur, and any touching was accidental. However, the judge determined that there was insufficient evidence supporting Bédard’s denial. After a review of the evidence, the judge found that the charge was proven beyond reasonable doubt. 

On October 7, 2021, Bédard was found guilty of sexual assault. Bédard and his lawyers proceeded to appeal the court's decision. Stating that the judge wrongly found discrepancies in Bédard’s testimony which affected his credibility. Although mistakes were made by the judge regarding two minor details, the court of appeal found that these errors did not affect the judge's reasoning process. 

Another appeal was made to the court claiming the judge relied on stereotypes about disabled people.  All appeals were dismissed by the court of appeal in January, 2024. Bédard lives in Aylmer and the details within this article are on public record within the court judgements.

(With notes from Lily Ryan)

Photo caption: Gaston Bédard, blind-deaf marathon runner found guilty of sexual assault. 

Photo credit: Aylmer Bulletin Archives