Some Justice Was Served

If there's one thing I try to do on this blog, it's remain committed to stories that I wrote. That often means going back and providing updates or following up with additional stories, specifically when it comes to the legal side of hockey, and that's what I'm doing here today. Back in October 2023, I had written about "Nicolas Daigle and Massimo Siciliano, a couple of former Victoriaville Tigres players, being suspended by the QMJHL after being formally charged with sexual assault stemming from an alleged incident on June 6, 2021 in Lac-Beauport". Both men had pleaded guilty prior to their October 2023 trial, and it seems the plan they had regarding sentencing was to show that their admissions of guilt reflected their responsibility in the incident and possibly reduce their sentences.

If you didn't click the link above, both Daigle and Siciliano were alleged to have "sexually assaulted a then-17-year-old female who worked at a hotel where their QMJHL team was staying during the playoffs in June of 2021. Daigle also pleaded guilty to making and distributing a video of the incident."

At the time, both criminals faced a maximum of ten years each for the crimes to which they pled guilty, and I had stated, "I'd be asking for that maximum sentence to show these two criminals that their standing in the community as hockey players has zero power when it comes to crimes of the nature they committed. Being good people shouldn't be hard."

Well, sentencing came down yesterday from Judge Thomas Jacques, and he didn't impose the maximum penalty, noting "the 'positive profile' of the offenders". In knowing they weren't going away for ten years each, that still left a lot of room for Judge Jacques to sentence the two men accordingly for their crimes.

In his sentencing for Daigle, Judge Jacques imposed sentences of 28 months for the sexual assault charge and an additional four months for filming the victim engaged in sexual activity while she was unaware. Daigle will serve both sentences consecutively for a total of 32 months in prison for his role in the incident. The judge did note that Daigle seemed "to have done a more thorough retrospection" when it came to the crimes he committed, and that sincerity was reflected in the 28-month sentence.

Siciliano's sentence will him serve 30 months for his role in the incident, and this next part should have pushed the sentence higher for me because it's downright despicable. As stated in his sentencing, Judge Jacques noted that "Siciliano stayed in the hotel room to assault the victim longer after Nicolas Daigle left. Despite her refusal, he insisted with the teenager. He stopped the assault when the victim ended up in the bathroom crying."

You may be thinking that what these two men should have fetched longer than what amounts to two-and-a-half-year sentences. I don't disagree, but the judge did factor in several things that kept them from serving longer sentences such as their ages when the crimes were committed, their lack of criminal records, their good profile in the community, and the presence of sincere regrets about what they did during the pleas. The fact that both men pose a very low risk of reoffending also played a part in Judge Jacques' decision.

At the end of Monday's proceedings, both Daigle and Siciliano were led out of the court in handcuffs as they'll spend the next few years in a federal penitentiary. While the two former QMJHL players have likely ended their dreams of professional hockey one day, perhaps they can keep their skills in check in the Quebec penal league in case an LNAH team gets desperate for a player because they won't be able to cross the border with a criminal record.

Playing high-level hockey is a privilege. In the end, it shouldn't be a "get out of jail free" card, and I'm happy it wasn't in this case. While I still believe Judge Jacques could have handed down harsher sentences for their crimes, it seems that the prison sentences given to Nicolas Daigle and Massimo Siciliano are appropriate. My hope is that the victim can find peace with this sentencing, and it's my sincere wish that she finds peace after the crimes committed against her. That kind of trauma doesn't heal quickly.

The law is reportedly blind as far as we're told, but it feels like some justice was served on Monday with this sentencing.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!