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Upon the completion of the internship and return to 7 Intelligence Company in April 2015, Brunelle was greeted with a frosty reception from the unit’s leadership.

The accused corporal had been found not guilty of all charges. In his ruling, the judge stated that clearly something happened at the base but the prosecutor had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt there had been a sexual assault or disgraceful conduct.

The accused admitted he was physically attracted to the female soldier and tried to get close to her during the training course. He acknowledged touching her breasts.

He also told the court martial that while he was sitting on a couch at the base, the female soldier put her feet on his crotch and rubbed his penis for about five minutes. He unzipped his pants and ejaculated onto the couch, but no semen went on her feet, he testified.

As for the second incident where the female soldier complained about an individual standing at the end of her bed and exposing her feet, the corporal told the court he had gotten up in the middle of the night to go to the washroom and later mistakenly tried to get into the wrong bed at the wrong end.

In his decision, Judge Lt. Col. Louis-Vincent d’Auteuil questioned the testimony of the alleged victim, noting there were contradictions. For instance, she initially denied giving the accused a massage but reluctantly admitted to it later.

The judge also pointed out she told Brunelle her story multiple times in different contexts and that it appeared Brunelle’s testimony gave the impression he had some bias in her favour. Because of that, the judge concluded Brunelle’s testimony was not credible and reliable.