Quebec woman who allegedly threw boiling water on child to enter plea

The case of the 46-year-old Quebec woman who was charged with aggravated assault after allegedly throwing boiling water onto the face, head, torso, and back of a 10-year-old Black boy was back in court Tuesday.

The accused, Stéphanie Borel, allegedly threw hot water on the boy on Oct. 2, 2024, when he was walking home from school in Longueuil and took a shortcut across her lawn—this is said to have caused second-degree burns to his face and upper body.

The court set Sept. 25, 2025, for when Borel would be expected—in person—to enter a plea.

She did not appear in court on Tuesday after having been granted bail previously.

“At the next court date on Sept. 25, the accused will be present in court as ordered by the judge in order to take (a) position in her case. At this court date, we can expect that she will either announce her intentions to plead guilty or ask for a trial. Meanwhile, the parties will keep (in) contact and follow up on their discussion about the case,” said crown prosecutor Gabriella St-Onge.

Farrah Auguste, who is a family friend of the 10-year-old boy, said that they hope Borel pleads guilty.

“They would love that she pleads guilty. So justice can be rendered, and they would like to move on with their lives because every time they come here, they cannot work; they’re stressed,” Auguste explained. “They don’t know what’s going to happen. A lot of times, they’re here since 9:30, and so on. So of course they would like that chapter to be closed.”