(Joliette) A former drug addict pharmacist who committed heinous sexual acts towards his five-year-old son with an accomplice was sentenced Friday to five years in prison thanks to his therapeutic efforts. If his lawyer assures that he is not a pedophile, his accomplice affirms on the contrary that he fantasized about young children.
“ [L’ex-pharmacien] often repeats to him: the younger, the better [plus c’est jeune, mieux c’est] », recalled Judge Serge Cimon when sentencing Francis Leclair-Gaudreau to three years in penitentiary, at the end of October.
Friday, it was the turn of the incestuous father, a 55-year-old ex-pharmacist, to receive his sentence at the Joliette courthouse. He pleaded guilty to one count of sexual interference in May. He cannot be identified to protect the identity of his son. Note that at the time of the events, the man was practicing as a pharmacist in Lanaudière. He has no longer been a member of the Order since April 2021.
At the time, the fallen pharmacist systematically used cocaine while having sex with other men. He had then been separated for several years from the mother of his two children, but shared custody of them.
The incestuous father meets Francis Leclair-Gaudreau, a 23-year-old student, in the spring of 2018. The two men practice fetishism and “humiliation” in their sexual relations. They also do scenes involving baby diapers.
On two occasions between 2018 and 2019, the ex-pharmacist and his accomplice took advantage of the 5-year-old boy’s sleep to perform odious sexual acts against him. According to Judge Cimon, it was the father who was “the main instigator of the abuse”, although this was not explicitly admitted by the man.
The consequences of these actions are terrible for the child and his family, confides the mother in a letter read to the court.
“He becomes more aware of what happened to him and doesn’t know how to deal with it. His brother has developed a lot of anxiety, he has rather unmanageable anxiety attacks. He is often sad. The reality of what his father did has shaken him greatly and he withdraws. »
To justify this common suggestion of five years, the Crown prosecutor, Ms.e Lydia Henry-Pelletier, noted the regrets of the accused, as well as his “numerous” follow-ups for his consumption. The prosecutor also highlighted around ten aggravating factors, including the very young age of her victim, her own son.
“We agree that the sentence could have been higher if Mr. had not undergone all this therapy. However, it is a significant sentence,” argued Mr.e Henry-Pelletier.
In defense, Me Catherine Perreault insisted her client had a “below average” risk of reoffending and did not suffer from any paraphilia, according to reports. “We are not talking about deviant attraction towards children. We are talking about a period of hypersexualization,” she argued.
At the end of the hearing, the ex-pharmacist apologized to his children. “I’m going to try to get my act together,” he said.
“I hope that the victim has no after-effects, but we all know here that it will leave after-effects. It still surprises me, even today, that a person who has this thought of touching doesn’t stop to say: I have a problem and I’m going to stop. No, you continued. I still don’t understand,” concluded Judge Claude Lachapelle, before endorsing the common suggestion.
“Me neither,” whispered the accused.