A veteran Montreal police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting seven young women between May 2004 and July 2005.

Benoit Guay, 34, appeared in Laval court Thursday afternoon.

Guay appeared in Laval court Thursday afternoon
Guay appeared in Laval court Thursday afternoon

Guay has been on the force for 13 years, most recently on a specialized surveillance team.

A joint squad of officers from the Sûreté du Québec, Laval, St-Jérôme and Terrebonne have been looking into sexual allegations for almost two years.

Guay's lawyer says the officer was arrested Wednesday night as he was driving on the highway with his wife, who is also a Montreal police officer.

He faces 22 charges including sexual assault, forcible confinement and weapons violations.

The seven victims were between 15 and 20 years old.

'One of the gang'

The allegations have sent shockwaves through the Montreal police force. Police Chief Yvan Delorme says no one ever suspected him of doing anything wrong:

"He was one of the gang, one of the team, he worked hard and no one suspected him," Delorme said Thursday.

Guay passed psychological tests when he joined the force, and passed another round when he joined the specialized unit, said Delorme said, who only found out about the allegations last Wednesday.

For now, Guay has been suspended without pay. "After that, if he's guilty of all the charges, he will be fired," Delorme confirmed.

Guay is being held behind bars in isolation. He'll appear in court again on Monday for a bail hearing.

Reports say DNA testing played a major role in pinpointing a suspect.