A break-in at the home of a long-time friend to steal $150 and satisfy a drug addiction could cost a man from the North Shore of Montreal six years in prison.
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“An individual’s residence is his fortress, his kingdom, which is inviolable,” insisted Judge Éric Côté at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse.
He made this statement last week on the sidelines of the pleadings on the sentence to be imposed on François Desjardins.
The 33-year-old Blainville man, who is currently in custody, previously pleaded guilty to three counts of breaking and entering, robbery and criminal harassment.
Conditional arrests were issued for assault charges.
The Crown is asking for a six-year incarceration period for Desjardins, while the defense is hoping for 12 months in penitentiary and three years of probation.
Desjardins’ accomplice in this affair, Marc Gabriel Auger, 33, received a sentence of 36 months behind bars.
Lacerated cheek
In September 2020, in Mirabel, the attackers invaded a residence and defeated its occupant, a long-time friend of Desjardins.
At one point, Marc Gabriel Auger used a knife to slash the victim’s cheek, which today remains scarred.
“We came for the money,” François Desjardins then reminded his accomplice, urging him not to do more. We grab our things and move out.”
François Desjardins, accused
Photo taken from François Desjardins’ Facebook account
The 30-year-old then stole $150 from the victim, with whom he was in conflict. “Hey, you’ve had your lesson,” Desjardins told him.
“The degree of participation and responsibility of Mr. [Desjardins] in this adventure, he is whole,” argued Stéphanie Ménard, Crown prosecutor.
“The whole of the premeditation is linked to Mr. [Desjardins]said M.e Menard. Text messages that are sent [à la victime]the threats that are sent beforehand, we are talking about almost a month before.”
Loss of trustworthy
In a letter read to the court, the victim detailed the serious consequences of the offense.
“It affected my ability to trust others and form lasting connections,” the man says.
“At the time of the events, I weighed 155 lbs and was training in agility. Since the attack, I have gained 70 pounds because I started strength training to no longer feel incapable of defending myself in the event of a similar situation,” he adds.
Sobriety
François Desjardins should know his sentence in early February.
“I want to be sober, to stop using hard drugs to have the best quality of life possible, to not have financial problems,” he testified, hoping for leniency from the court.
“We understand that the lure of gain, the planned theft, was to satisfy his consumption problem. It’s intrinsically linked,” said his lawyer, Mr.e Charles-Antoine Maynard.
He also stressed that Desjardins had not committed an act of violence during the event, unlike his accomplice, which makes “all the difference”.
Note that Desjardins has already had problems with the law in the past. He has a history of non-compliance with conditions and obstructing the work of police officers, among others.