'Controlling' brothers charged in connection with Amber Alert are denied release

Two brothers charged with kidnapping their sister and prompting an Amber Alert were described by a Crown prosecutor as "domineering" and "controlling" toward the 16-year-old victim.

Three young men have been charged with the abduction. Two of the men are 21 and the third man is 22.

On Friday, it was announced that the three men involved in the abduction would not be released. Their bail hearings will instead take place next week.

Judge Joëlle Roy said she wants to hear from the teenage girl's parents to get an overall picture of the family.

At a bail hearing for one of the accused on Thursday at the Montreal courthouse, the Crown said the sister was not allowed to vape, work or wear tight-fitting clothing. Crown prosecutor Bruno Ménard said the girl enjoyed her job, which gave her a sense of independence.

The identity of the accused cannot be released because of a publication ban ordered to protect the victim, who is a minor.

Montreal police say they were called to the B12 Burger restaurant, where the girl worked, in Kirkland on July 26 at around 11:10 p.m.

According to arguments presented Thursday, the defendants forcibly abducted the teenager at her workplace and even fought with an employee who tried to come to her defence.

The Amber Alert went out just after 6:20 a.m. the next day and was lifted less than an hour after the teen showed up at a local police station.

In court, the defence referred to the event as an "unfortunate incident" that got "blown out of proportion" because of the Amber Alert.

"All [three men] are not used to prison, aren't used to the Palais de Justice. Everyone is under great stress right now," said defence lawyer Anthony El-Hadad.The defence also argued that one of the accused has no criminal record and that he will soon have to move to Gatineau, after having been accepted at the University of Ottawa.