Quebec judge refuses police officer's request to dismiss charge in 2014 death of 5-year-old boy

A judge has refused aQuebecprovincial police officer's request to have a charge against him dropped in the death of a five-year-old boy.

Patrick Ouellet is accused of dangerous driving causing the death of Nicholas Thorne-Belancein February 2014.

Ouellet had filed a motion seeking the charge be dropped because of alleged interference in the case byQuebecJustice Minister Stephanie Valle.

The Crown initially decided to not lay charges but the single charge was filed against Ouellet in 2015 after Valle ordered an independent review of the case amid intense pressure.

Quebeccourt Judge Denys Nol ruled today there was no interference on Valle's part, and Ouellet will have his trial in June.

Thorne-Belance died in hospital a few days after acrash on Feb. 13,2014 involving his father's car and an unmarked police cruiser that was speeding during a surveillance mission in Saint-Hubert, a borough of Longueuil.