The family of an OC Para Transpo bus driver charged with sexually assaulting a disabled woman is shocked at the allegations against him.
Victor Fuentes, 53, a short and stocky man sporting a black curly afro greying in the front, made a short court appearance Saturday morning on two sexual assault-related charges.
A woman, who identified herself as Fuentes’ daughter, told the Sun he’s worked at OC Transpo for a “very long time” and has never had any work-related issues.
“He’s never had a criminal record in his life,” she said. “My dad has never done anything bad in his whole entire life and now he’s locked away.”
During the appearance, he said his own name very quietly, looking despondent before being remanded into custody until his next appearance Monday via video.
But Fuentes, an active member in Ottawa’s arts community, is not known for being subdued. A local arts website describes him as a musician, poet, dancer and painter.
He is also co-founder of the local art group Harmony Hopes, which serves artists from diverse communities and new immigrant populations in the Ottawa area while raising money for a charity in El Salvador.
In a release, police said a 26-year old woman complained she’d been sexually assaulted by the driver of her Para Transpo bus during the evening hours on Wednesday.
But the man’s daughter said her father wasn’t working Wednesday evening. The accusation is related to an exchange Thursday morning when her father’s bus broke down. That’s when, she said, he helped a wheelchair-bound woman off the bus and onto another driven by someone else.
According to his daughter, his superiors sent Fuentes home from work later that day. Then he was asked to go to the police station Friday and was arrested “on the spot.”
Fuente’s wife said the couple has three daughters and a grandson and have worked hard to earn the respect of others since moving to Canada from El Savlador as refugees 21 years ago.
“This is a very damage to us. Our dignity is brought down,” she said in
somewhat broken English.
Calls to the victim’s family were not returned Saturday.
Fuentes faces one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual assault of
a person with a disability.
Anyone with information should call police at 613-236-1222 ext. 5944 or Crime
Stoppers at 613-233-8477.
— With files from Justin Sadler
Twitter: @ottawasunjlong
Commentary by the Ottawa Mens Centre
This is a classic example of how the Ottawa Police apply "Male
Sharia Law".
It's like this.
Any woman can make any absurd allegation and without any evidence or
corroboration,
a man , a male, is charged with a criminal offense.
The assumption is, a reverse onus then applies, that the accused has to prove
himself innocent.
Most often, absurd charges result in a four day trial, often he is NOT
exonerated and frequently, despite evidence that shows she lied, that she is a
liar, the accused is convicted.
It leaves everyone in the courtroom with a look of shock and horror on their
faces.
What we need to look at is the NAMES of the Ottawa Police Officers who are
responsible for this outragious example of the Ontario Government's "War On
Men".
The prosecutors, the police officers can all generally be traced to Extreme
Feminist Lobby Groups, Lesbian activists, Rape victims advocates who are all too
often hell ben on destroying innocent men, and a lot of the time, they turn
their "guns" on men who are actually chivalrous men who have all their lives
helped women.
Our courts, our police are an insult to justice when it comes to their War on
Men and these charges promise to be classic examples of how the Ottawa Police
are engaged on a Feminist War on Men that has nothing to do with crime but an
Abuse of Police Powers and prosecutors who are co-conspirators in attempts to
obstruct and pervert justice.
www.OttawaMensCentre.com