The sexual assault trial of the ex-Tigers on pause

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Nicolas Daigle and Massimo Siciliano contest the seizure of their cell phone during their arrest for sexual assault. (Archive photo)

• Yannick Bergeron (View profile)Yannick Bergeron

Barely started, the trial of ex-Victoriaville Tigres players Nicolas Daigle and Massimo Siciliano, accused of sexual assault on a 17-year-old girl, is on pause to allow lawyers to continue their discussions.

At the opening of the trial, Tuesday morning, at the Quebec courthouse, the lawyers of the two young men of 21 years asked for a delay from Judge Thomas Jacques to discuss with their customers.

Returning before the judge two hours later, Me Michel Lebrun, who represents Daigle, asked the judge to postpone the case until Wednesday afternoon, which the judge accepted.

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Ex-Victoriaville Tigres player Nicolas Daigle surrounded by lawyers Pénélope Lemay Provencher and Michel Lebrun. (File photo)

According to Me Lebrun, the discussions are evolving to such a point that the trial could be done by admission.

With the prosecutors, the lawyers for the defense are to establish facts which would be recognized as evidence. These admissions would prevent certain witnesses from having to appear before the judge.

Before the defense lawyers asked for time to discuss, the prosecution announced that it would begin its evidence by presenting videos seized from Daigle and Siciliano's smartphones.

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Massimo Siciliano (left) is accused of sexual assault. (Archive photo)

The defense unsuccessfully attempted to have this evidence excluded in a pretrial motion.

The complainant was also scheduled to testify on Tuesday. She was allegedly attacked at the Entourage sur-le-Lac hotel, in Lac-Beauport, in June 2021.

The Tigers celebrated their conquest of the President's Cup, won a few hours earlier at the Videotron Center.

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