Repeat sex offender Jody Matthew Burke, who says he wants to change his sex since being convicted of hyper-violent sexual assaults on his ex-wife, has launched a campaign from prison on Facebook and Instagram to expose a manager who allegedly refused her transfer to a women’s prison.
Burke, who now wishes to call himself Amber, set up a Facebook page in early February, presumably using a contraband phone he has access to at the Montreal Detention Facility (Bordeaux). He is being held there pending his sentence on Wednesday, notably for armed sexual assault and death threats against his ex-spouse, Brigitte Jobin, whom he beat and forced to have sex with a knife to her throat.
On February 13, Burke used this Facebook account to contact Mr.me Jobin from prison, by “liking” one of his publications.
“It made me deeply angry,” says M.me Jobin. “It’s just to provoke me. He wanted me to know that he opened a Facebook account, it was very calculated, ”she adds.
“Me, I’ve had insomnia every night for a month while waiting for the sentence. Him, he is already preparing his next life on Facebook and Instagram, ”laments Mme Jobin.
IMAGE FROM BURKE’S FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
Burke’s Facebook account homepage
“What shakes me the most is that he poses as a victim on the networks,” adds the 36-year-old woman.
According to our information, Burke’s cell was searched by staff from the Montreal Detention Facility shortly after this incident, but no device was found.
The situation nevertheless forced the Crown to ask the Superior Court to prohibit Burke from communicating with Ms.me Jobin, at the end of February.
Black Dress Selfie
Last week, a few days from knowing his sentence, Burke made new statements, this time posting a selfie as a “story” on Instagram. Burke appears there with a black dress, along with three other individuals.
IMAGE FROM BURKE’S INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT, LA PRESSE
Burke’s black-robed selfie posted on Instagram while he’s still incarcerated.
According to the president of the Syndicat des agents de la paix en services correctionnels du Québec (SAPSCQ-CSN), Mathieu Lavoie, the place where the photo was taken “resembles a prison cell quite convincingly”. “It could be Bordeaux or Rivière-des-Prairies,” he confirms.
Burke also posted a message on Facebook specifically targeting a manager at the Montreal detention center, whom he blames for refusing to transfer him to a women’s prison because he has not to date initiated any change procedures. of sex. “Justin Trudeau, according to his policy, says that I qualify,” Burke said, indicating that it is “now time” to file a complaint.
“Being a trans woman held in a men’s prison was very difficult because of the oppression,” Burke adds in another post.
IMAGE FROM BURKE’S FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
Burke’s publication where he claims to be the object of “oppression” in prison.
The Ministry of Public Security, questioned by The Press about this publication, says that he is carrying out checks to “trace the thread of events”. Posting a manager’s name on social media “is not considered a threat, but could be considered intimidation,” spokeswoman Louise Quintin said.
“The Minister must [François] Bonnardel [responsable de la Sécurité publique] react, insists Mathieu Lavoie, of the SAPSCQ-CSN. One day, it may be photos of correctional officers that will be released. It’s part of the intimidation tactics that inmates use against prison staff, ”he laments.
“Like a wolf in the sheepfold”
Already convicted twice for similar violent assaults against two other ex-spouses, Burke will most likely be transferred to a federal penitentiary once his sentence is announced. Under a policy formalized last May by the Correctional Service of Canada, all federal inmates can request to be incarcerated in the type of institution “that best matches their gender identity or expression”, regardless of whether or not they have started sex change procedures. Only “overriding health or safety concerns” can justify a refusal.
The Press attempted to obtain comments from Burke’s attorney, Ms.e Véronique Talbot, but she didn’t call back.
The Criminal Code provides no penalties for inmates caught using cell phones in prison. Rather, it is the establishment’s Rules of Procedure that apply, which provides for disciplinary penalties. “In general, in provincial prisons, managers impose isolation,” says Ms.e Sylvie Bordelais, vice-president of the Association of Prison Lawyers of Quebec. The maximum is 30 days, but that depends on the managers’ imagination. They can split the same incident into several different events,” she says.