Luck Mervil found guilty of sexual assault

Quebec singer Luck Mervil arrives at the courthouse for sentencing arguments Friday, May 18, 2018, in Montreal. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson)

Haitian-Canadian singer Luck Mervil has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman in Rimouski in June 2000, Noovo Info has confirmed.

The 57-year-old says he plans to appeal the court’s decision.

“For the moment, we are focusing on the next legal steps and ask that our family’s privacy be respected,” the singer wrote in a statement. “No further comments will be made.”

Mervil had pleaded not guilty to the charge last February.

According to the facts presented at trial, the assault took place while Mervil was on tour.

In an interview with La Presse, he insisted that the case was the result of mistaken identity and categorically denied the charges against him.

Mervil was sentenced to six months of house arrest in 2018 after pleading guilty to sexually exploiting a 17-year-old girl in 1996.

Last summer, he filed a request to be removed from the sex offender registry.