OTTAWA - A man who admits he was trying to cheat on his wife described being held hostage at gunpoint for cash by a woman he’d romanced and three of her friends.
His worried wife sent police to rescue him.
Catiuska Catou Charmant, 32, and Max Adrien Jeannot, 20, are on trial charged with conspiracy to extort, attempted extortion, forcible confinement and break and enter with intent in connection with the alleged May 16, 2008 incident. Jeannot is also charged with using an imitation firearm and assault.
Prosecutor Matthew Humphreys told the jury that he expected they’ll hear that Charmant and Jeannot — along with Yves “Ice” Louis and Natasha Anderson — went to Harold Sharara’s Blackstone Cres. home to shake him down.
“Some people chose to use their knowledge of the unfaithful and selfish actions of Mr. Sharara to extort money from him and to ensure he would not call the police,” Humphreys told the jury.
Sharara, 39, candidly admitted seeking extramarital relationships by wooing women with cash, drinks and hair extensions, but said he wasn’t successful.
He stopped seeing Charmant when it became “too demanding financially” without becoming romantic.
On the day of the incident, the father-of-two testified he was on his way to the University of Ottawa, where he is a PhD student, when he was confronted by the foursome at his home.
He was on edge because someone had been pounding on his doors and windows that morning and his house had recently been burglarized.
Louis insisted Sharara owned money to Charmant, who kept asking to be let inside for some water.
“I had a sixth sense that if we went inside the house something bad would happen,” Sharara said.
Sharara felt threatened but he went to get the water.
He found himself being escorted into his study with something he’d later see was a pistol pressed against his neck.
There were more cash demands, threats and violence — including having his hand pistol-whipped until he dropped his phone, Sharara said. Jeannot took a knife from the kitchen which he exchanged for the gun.
Before going into the house, Sharara had accidentally dialled his wife on his cell. She called back, worried. When his captors turned off his cell, she called their home. Sharara said he had to answer or his wife would call police.
He told her in their language, Shona, to call police.
The trial continues today.
megan.gillis@sunmedia.ca
