Montreal-area woman accused of burning boy, 10, with boiling water remains behind bars

Warning – This story contains graphic details and images.

A 46-year-old woman accused of burning a 10-year-old boy with boiling water on Montreal's South Shore remains in custody after she was supposed to have a bail hearing Wednesday.

Stephanie Borel is facing a charge of aggravated assault following the incident on Oct. 2 in Longueuil.

A judge was set to hear arguments about whether or not she should be granted bail, but the prosecution and the defence couldn't agree on terms. The court set aside the whole day to hear the case and make a ruling.

According to the Crown prosecutor, the defence was not ready to build its case for Borel's release. The accused, therefore, has to remain behind bars at least until the end of the month until a full hearing can be held.

The prosecutor intends to argue Borel must be detained until the trial to maintain the public's confidence in the justice system.

There was public outcry from the boy's family and the community after learning that the woman was arrested the day of the incident and released from custody on a promise to appear in court at a later date. She was re-arrested last Friday and formally charged after the prosecution learned of new evidence.

On the day of the incident, the boy was walking home from school but allegedly took his usual shortcut through his neighbour's property to get to his parents' apartment.

The family of the young boy was in court on Wednesday but would not comment after a week of giving interviews to denounce what happened.

CTV News was told the boy who was severely burned is currently going through a long and painful recovery.

According to court records, Borel was arrested for an alleged assault on a woman in 2020 and pleaded not guilty. She was acquitted of the charge on March 22, 2022, and signed a peace bond under section 810 of the Criminal Code to keep the peace and be of good behaviour.