Brothers acquitted in connection with 2021 Amber Alert in Montreal's West Island

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Montreal·New

Two brothers who were accused of kidnapping their 16-year-old sister astatine the edifice wherever she worked successful Kirkland were acquitted aft the sister changed her story.

2 men acquitted successful 16-year-old sister's kidnapping but blameworthy of assaulting edifice employee

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 29, 2025 12:57 PM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes ago

 A gathering  with a motion   successful  French indicates it is simply a courthouse

Two brothers charged with the abduction of a 16-year-old miss were acquitted astatine the Montreal courthouse. (Simon-Marc Charron/Radio-Canada)

Two brothers accused of kidnapping their younger sister and prompting an Amber Alert in 2021 were acquitted astatine the Montreal courthouse connected Monday. 

Crown Prosecutor Charles Doucet said helium was amazed by the verdict but noted determination were a batch of "grey zones" during the trial. 

"What we cognize is that the unfortunate retracted her versions of what she said successful court," Doucet said. "The justice does not judge her mentation and concluded that helium heard galore lies."

The incident at the centre of the tribunal lawsuit dates back to July 26, 2021 erstwhile constabulary were called to B12 Burger edifice successful Kirkland successful Montreal's West Island, wherever the sister worked, at astir 11:10 p.m. 

An Amber Alert went retired conscionable aft 6:20 a.m. the adjacent time and was lifted little than an hr aft erstwhile the sister, who was 16 years aged astatine the time, showed up astatine a section constabulary station.

The teen told constabulary she had been kidnapped by her brothers, past 21 and 22, and Doucet said surveillance video of the incidental was presented successful tribunal arsenic worldly proof.

He added, however, that the miss had changed her communicative to accidental she had been "consenting."

In the caller mentation of events, she said she had called her brothers for assistance aft being harassed by a man. 

The brothers were acquitted of the charges pertaining to their sister, which included kidnapping, sequestering and assault. 

The brace was, however, recovered blameworthy of assaulting an worker of the edifice who had tried to intervene arsenic events unfolded on the nighttime of July 26. Doucet specified that the worker was not the alleged harasser.

Sentencing is expected to instrumentality spot connected Oct. 7.  

Because the sister was a insignificant astatine the time, a work prohibition was ordered to support her identity. 

Written by Annabelle Olivier with files from Radio-Canada's Amélie Desmarais

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