A sexual predator tries to escape thanks to a plan “out of a film”

A 35-foot rope, a homemade grappling hook, a fake mannequin in his bed: the sexual sadist Michel Vautour almost escaped from a penitentiary thanks to a “very elaborate” escape plan “almost out of a movie “. He was sentenced to two years in prison on Wednesday.

Michel Vautour – who was previously called Michel Cox – is one of the worst sexual predators of recent years in Quebec. In the 2000s, he brutally raped eight women and teenage girls at knifepoint in Laval. Vulture prowled the streets at night to spot its prey, armed with rope, tape and a knife.

It was to serve the last years of his 21-year prison sentence that Michel Vautour was in La Macaza penitentiary, north of Mont-Tremblant, when he attempted to escape in December 2021. He had returned behind bars after attempting to kidnap a 16-year-old girl in broad daylight from the streets of Outremont in 2020.

Michel Vautour had thought of everything to prepare his escape from the penitentiary. First, he had noted down the times of the patrol rounds of the agents. He then made a rope ten meters long by stealing a soccer goal net. This rope was equipped with a homemade grappling hook and a two-kilo counterweight in order to pass the security fences.

The fugitive aspirant had also prepared warm clothes and hygienic products. Besides, he knew where to hide after his escape. On slips of paper, he had written that a certain “Fat Joe” would be waiting for him in a restaurant from 9:30 p.m. His plan was then to go to Val-d’Or for three months, then to Rawdon after six months.

On a photo filed in evidence, we can read that his “window” was between 3:00 and 3:30 a.m. when darkness fell, then that he would then have one hour. Several calculations of hours and days can be found on this paper.

On D-Day, Michel Vautour left his cell at 2:13 p.m. He had placed objects under the covers of his bed to create a “dummy” in order to deceive the agents at the time of the count. It was only five hours later, at 7:38 p.m., that the prisoner was intercepted in the “industry sector”, an area prohibited to offenders from 4:15 p.m. He then gave himself up.

Michel Vautour injured his left knee during his attempt. He also had frostbite on his fingers. It is not known how the prison authorities found him. Since then, he has been detained at the Port-Cartier maximum security penitentiary.

The 45-year-old man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of “breaking jail”, namely trying to escape from prison by breaking and entering his cell. Crown prosecutor M.^e Annabelle Sheppard and defense attorney M^e Cynthia Chénier presented a joint suggestion of two years in detention, which was endorsed by Judge Lori Renée Weitzman.

In the kidnapping file, Michel Vautour is still awaiting his sentence, a year and a half after admitting his guilt. He risks being declared a dangerous offender. The defense will soon announce whether their expert will produce a second opinion. Michel Vautour could thus testify on the sentence next June, said his lawyer.

A teenager – who was present in court on Wednesday – experienced a nightmare at the hands of Michel Vautour in 2020. The sexual predator had identified himself as a police officer and had handcuffed the teenager in broad daylight, while she was walking on rue Saint -Viateur, in Outremont.

Sequestered in the fake police vehicle, the teenager had struggled with the energy of despair to escape. Michel Vautour had been arrested after a high-speed chase. Binoculars, tie wraps and a box of condoms were found in his vehicle.

Note that Michel Vautour has legally changed his name. His name was Michel Cox at the start of the proceedings.