After dedicating eight years of her life to an interminable legal battle against Criminal Injuries Compensation, a 42-year-old woman who has just obtained justice now wishes to “fix herself” and put her terrible childhood behind her.
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Martine Legault has thirsted for justice since her teenage years.
She was sexually abused daily by her stepfather between the ages of 8 and 13.
His brother was beaten every day, often until he passed out.
The resident of Sherbrooke lives today with significant psychological consequences.
She was never able to obtain justice, since “the monster” died eight hours before her preliminary investigation.
To buy a house
Declared completely unfit for duty several years ago, Mme Legault has been trying since 2013 to obtain financial compensation from the Compensation for Victims of Criminal Acts (IVAC) proportional to his incapacity.
Lawyer Marc Bellemare, whom she considers the father she never had, fought for her until winning her case last November.
The woman who is now a mother will now receive $1,200 per month, in addition to a retroactive amount of nearly $200,000 for previous years.
“I would like to buy a house,” she says. I never really had a home in my life. The hardest part now will be to stay mentally stable. I am forever broken. »
The former Minister of Justice, who over the years has become a specialist in IVAC files, believes that this is another example of the immense laxity shown by this government agency.
However, he says he is very proud of his client.
“Martine is a source of inspiration for many victims who fight against them,” he insists. It is the worst system in Quebec. They drag the victims into endless fights, and it serves them well, because many give up. »
Post-traumatic stress
According to a psychiatric report prepared for the IVAC, Martine Legault suffers from severe post-traumatic stress syndrome and a borderline personality disorder that prevents her from being functional.
Because the abuse took place at a pivotal time in her life, her brain never developed properly and remains “immature”.
His life was marked by anorexia, violence, abuse, behavioral problems, alcoholism, drug addiction and severe anxiety.
At age 12, she made her first complaint to the Director of Youth Protection (DYP) for herself.
At 15, she made her first suicide attempt.
At 16, she found herself pregnant and on the street. She was moved from home to home throughout her teenage years.
Consumed by an immense pain in life, she ran away repeatedly and looked for love in the wrong places.
Martine Legault now wants to write a book about her story.
She hopes the writing process will benefit her, since she still has a huge amount of work to do before she finally discovers what happiness is.