I believe Julie Payette assaulted her ex-husband. And I believe there was physical evidence, which is why the charges were laid. It’s hard to come up with any other scenario to explain why the police would lay charges against an astronaut. Unless they were undercover men’s rights activists, the cops aren’t just going to take the word of a fighter pilot, who looks like he could play himself in a movie, that his wife is slapping him around.
After that, what a mess. Payette probably regretted what happened almost instantaneously and her ex-husband Billie Flynn likely regretted reporting it. But once the wheels of justice start to turn it’s hard to stop them. There’s bound to be way more regret to come.
When Julie Payette says the now-expunged charges against her were “unfounded” that’s almost certainly true but it’s also contrary to what most of us understand “unfounded” to mean. The police use unfounded in a bizarre way that strips the word of its common meaning. Statistics Canada stopped using the term years ago because it means anything and everything. And the definition of “unfounded” is just as confused in the U.S. where the assault was alleged to have taken place.
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AnnBrocklehurst.com 
You’re certain supposition that Julie Payette assaulted her husband and that he contacted police is seriously flawed.
The alleged “victim” could have been another person, there could be two or more parties involved.
Someone other than the husband may have called the police.
Bill Flynn’s looks and physical capabilities have nothing to do with a police investigation, charges are laid on the basis of good and present evidence.
If charges were laid by the police, and the prosecutor reviewed the file and determined the evidence didn’t support the charge, they would not proceed with a court trial.
What is known is that something occurred at the residence that involved Julie Payette and the police attended, everything else at this point is speculative.
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No I’m not certain because that’s impossible without all the facts, and certainty is not even required for a criminal conviction. Several media, including La Presse, have reported Flynn was the complainant and alleged victim. I don’t believe they are mistaken as they would not publish such material lightly.
If you don’t accept that there were valid reasons to lay assault charges against Payette, the only other realistic option is that her husband lied, which I personally don’t find plausible.
I also highly doubt the police were out to get Payette or there would have been leaks and this would have landed in the news back in 2011. Remember, it wasn’t long before that that another female astronaut had been charged with attempted murder.
The only logical conclusion is that Payette did assault Flynn and he changed his mind about laying charges.
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