An exceptional man | The Press

It was hesitating, almost reluctantly, that Léa Clermont-Dion filed a complaint for sexual assault against ex-journalist Michel Venne in 2017. “I was completely disillusioned. I had lost confidence in authority, in the broad sense. »

We know the story. Michel Venne, her mentor and boss, attacked her in Quebec in 2008, when she was only 17 years old. Years later, Lise Payette, an authority figure in her eyes as a feminist activist, had sought to dissuade her from filing a complaint. And then, the young woman had “prejudices against the police”. It dated back to the student crisis of 2012; the last policeman she had faced had bludgeoned her friend in a demonstration…

Léa Clermont-Dion was therefore “extremely suspicious” when investigator Daniel Raymond, of the Quebec City Police Service (SPVQ), showed up at her home in Montreal to take her statement. But, very quickly, everything changed.

Investigator Raymond showed such empathy that Léa Clermont-Dion immediately felt confident. During the long legal process that followed, she became attached to him. “He’s really someone who marked me. »

She’s not the only one to say it. Victims, prosecutors, police, families and friends… everyone loves Daniel Raymond. Finally, everyone loved him.

I was supposed to interview him these days, but death had other plans. Daniel Raymond died Thursday evening, at the age of 49, from cancer. He is survived by his children, Thomas and Rachel, as well as his wife, Nancy Godbout.

There will therefore be no interview.

Let me tell you about this gentleman policeman, who, through his attentiveness, his professionalism and his extreme kindness, won the trust of hundreds of victims, adults and children, during his career with the SPVQ.

“We have an image of the policeman in uniform who gives tickets and who can sometimes be severe,” says prosecutor Michel Bérubé. Investigator Raymond did not fit this image. In fact, he was quite the opposite. “Warm, human, attentive…”

“Going through the justice system is extremely stressful. We come to talk about the traumatic events that we have experienced, ”adds M^e Berube. However, “Daniel was a soothing person”. At his touch, the victims caught their breath. And their courage.

This is the case of writer Jill Côté, who filed a complaint against Michel Brûlé in 2017. The publisher was found guilty of sexual assault four years later. He died in an accident in Brazil in May 2021 before his sentence was handed down.

“It lasted four years. Four years of reliving the attack each time, says Jill Côté. When M. Brûlé was present, I trembled, I was afraid. Daniel was always there and reassured me. He was with me, always perfect in his attitude. He was a great man who had seen too much, I think. »

This is because files involving minors regularly landed on Daniel Raymond’s desk, says Éric Descarreaux, his former partner in investigations. “He had this great strength to be able to hear the words of a child. He was very good at that, too. »

Daniel Raymond knew perfectly how to adapt to the person facing him. “Each victim is different,” says his ex-teammate. Léa was a strong person who wanted to move forward. Other victims are very withdrawn. Daniel had this ability to be able to listen to anyone. »

Without knowing it, Daniel Raymond helped change perceptions of Jill Côté. “Being accompanied by a man like that, I who was afraid of men, made me a little reconciled with men in general. There was something about him that gave confidence. I loved him so much. Really. »

Daniel Raymond accompanied her during the trial of Michel Brûlé, at the Quebec courthouse. “I always went there alone, because I didn’t want my family or my friends to be filmed. I relied on his presence, and he was always there. When M. Brûlé looked at me [ce qui lui était interdit], Daniel had him arrested on the spot, with handcuffs and everything. »

Michel Venne’s trial lasted three days. During breaks, in a neon-lit room, Daniel Raymond gave advice to Léa Clermont-Dion. “Let the blows come,” he kept telling her. ” Stay calm. Breathe. He even took care of his baby, strolling with his stroller through the halls of the courthouse. Found guilty, Michel Venne appealed his case.

Another victim, who prefers not to be identified, also underlines the unwavering support of the investigator Raymond, assigned to his case. He had to muster all his courage to denounce the sexual abuse that his father had subjected him to during his childhood.

In the middle of the trial, her father asked to speak to her. The judge then ordered a time out, to allow him to think about this incongruous proposal. “I went to a room” with the prosecutor, a worker and Daniel Raymond, says the victim. The prosecutor and the intervener tried to dissuade her; her father wanted to manipulate her, as he had always done.

But the victim hesitated. What if her father finally wanted to apologize? In the room, Daniel Raymond finally spoke: “We see it when the accused are sincere. Him, we feel that he is not. He just wants to try to get out of it. »

That was enough to convince the victim. “The fact that it is a man who confirms to me that [mon père] had no remorse and would not apologize, it had an impact. Also, seeing that there are kind, caring men helped me through the process. »

In the documentary You just have to complain, Léa Clermont-Dion gives voice to women who have bitter memories of their experience with the police. “I didn’t feel like I was giving a statement that day, I felt like I was being questioned and almost accused of what had happened,” said one of them. The interviewer asked him brutal and inappropriate questions, such as: Did you find him attractive? Did you derive pleasure from the sexual act? Have you been paid?

Maybe this woman had dialed the wrong number. Nevertheless, there has been much denunciation in recent years of the myth of the perfect victim and the obstacles that plaintiffs must overcome in their legal journey. “It is certain that prejudices persist, believes Léa Clermont-Dion. These are traditionally male environments, with particular dynamics…”

So, was Daniel Raymond an exception? ” I do not know. But he was exceptional. »