Despite his attempts to avoid prison, well-known Quebec comedian Edgar Fruitier will have no choice but to surrender to prison authorities. The Court of Appeal has just rejected his request by which he wanted his sentence to be reduced.
The 92-year-old was found guilty in July 2020 of committing these crimes in the 1970s on a teenager when he was 15 and 17. Edgar Fruitier was at that time in his forties.
He did not appeal the guilty verdict. He focused his efforts on the six-month prison sentence imposed on him.
Edgar Fruitier had obtained permission to remain at large for the duration of his appeal.
According to him, the judge who sentenced him made many mistakes.
In addition, he argued on appeal a particular situation: very old, his condition has greatly deteriorated since the pronouncement of the sentence. A neurologist has submitted a report which mentions serious memory problems: he does not know the day and the date, and even forgets information or instructions given a few minutes earlier.
The neurologist concludes that he will not be able to follow the restrictive guidelines of the prison, because he is “unfit”.
The Court of Appeal considers that there is no reason to intervene in law. As for the condition of Edgar Fruitier, she explains in her judgment rendered on Monday that she cannot modify the sentence on this basis, not having the power to do so. This rests with the prison authorities, who can grant conditional release to a detainee if they judge that his physical or mental health may be seriously compromised if the detention continues.
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