The court ruled: Brian Paré, the man who admitted to starting 14 arson attacks, including 13 forest fires including the one that forced the evacuation of Chapais in May 2023, will have to spend 8 years behind bars.
Quebec court judge Jean-François Poirier rendered his decision Thursday afternoon at the Chibougamau courthouse in this case “without comparison in Canada.”
In total, the arsonist received a sentence of 96 months, less 19 and a half months which have already been served. He will therefore spend nearly six and a half years in a federal penitentiary for the crimes he committed.
Photo taken from Facebook, BRIAN PARÉ
Huge impacts
The extent of the damage caused by the 38-year-old man to the forest and, above all, the impact that his actions had on the population who had to be evacuated were the predominant factors mentioned by the judge to explain the sentence. The “unglamorous profile” of a man “at risk of recurrence” and with a long track record also weighed in the balance.
The magistrate also alluded to the testimony of a man for whom the actions of the thirty-year-old brought back the trauma of a violent arson set in Chapais during a New Year’s Day party in 1980 which left 48 dead. .
“In 2023, the lack of judgment fueled this time by the most ridiculous conspiracy theories circulating on social networks almost led to another tragedy in this city,” he drops, to emphasize the narrowly avoided catastrophe which could have had devastating consequences.
Screenshot taken from a video provided by MAUDE GAMACHE
“Of consummate stupidity”
During Brian Paré’s testimony on Wednesday, his lawyer, Jean Girard, tried to portray his client as a repentant, “naive and easily influenced” man who allowed himself to be drawn into the world of conspiracy during the pandemic.
In his judgment, Jean-François Poirier underlines that, indeed, Paré has allowed himself to be seduced by conspiracy theories since 2020 and has become suspicious of the government.
Screenshot taken from Facebook, BRIAN PARÉ
“In a desire to discover the truth, he decides to carry out validation tests of his impressions that the fires are not natural, but rather the work of the government, since according to him, the earth is always damp. Even after lighting several fires, he is still skeptical. […] All this is consummate stupidity,” continues Judge Poirier, adding that the fire in a fishing cabin leaves him “perplexed” as to the true motivations behind the acts committed.
He subsequently said he was concerned by the fact that Paré had not affirmed beyond any doubt that he had changed his mind regarding his “erroneous beliefs”.