SAINT-JEROME | An aspiring police officer will never be able to realize his dream of fighting against drunk driving after he was killed by a repeat driver, who now faces six years in prison for driving after a drunken night out two days before Christmas.
“One of his goals was to combat drunk driving. He told all his friends not to drink and drive. He was very often the designated driver. I will never accept the way my son was taken from me,” said Élisabeth Jones.
The victim’s mother, Julien Lachance, testified this morning in front of a room full of relatives for observations on Audrey Perrotte’s sentence, at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse.
After a trial, the 36-year-old woman was found guilty of causing death by driving with a level of more than 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. It exceeded the permitted limit by approximately one and a half times.
Around 5 a.m. on December 23, 2018, Audrey Perrotte was returning from a festive evening when she veered from her lane on a curve and collided head-on with a vehicle in the opposite direction, in Mirabel.
The other driver, Julien Lachance, died instantly. The 21-year-old young man was a recent graduate of the Quebec National Police Academy.
The accused Audrey Perrotte
Archive photo
Designated driver
And ironically, he was the designated driver that evening because after work, he went to pick up his girlfriend who thought she had drunk too much.
“Two parties in parallel. Two separate decisions. Frédérique Vézina witnessed her partner’s last breath even though she had made the right decision: not to drive that evening,” lamented the Crown prosecutor, Ms.e Sédrik Valiquette.
“I carried the burden of a feeling of guilt, considering that he was bringing me back because I was unable to drive,” explained the young woman, who made two attempts to suicide after the tragedy.
Julien Lachance aspired to become a police officer, like his father. He was impatiently awaiting his interview at the Sûreté du Québec.
“A career that I was so looking forward to sharing soon with my son,” said his father, Benoit Lachance.
The officer had to take 10 months off work after developing symptoms like high anxiety, stress and even pain for the first time in his life.
“I feel like I’m existing rather than living. I’m just a shadow of the man I was before that day. For five years, I have been trying to get a taste for life again,” he said.
The violent collision occurred on Route 158 in Mirabel around 5:20 a.m. on December 23, 2018.
Archive photo, QMI Agency
He is angry because his son’s life was cut short by a criminal act, something he fought against throughout his career.
Not the first time
The Crown is asking for a “still severe” sentence of 5 and a half to six years of detention. Audrey Perrotte, who became a mother during the legal proceedings, was convicted in 2013 for drunk driving.
Me Sédrick Valiquette pointed out in passing that this is National Impaired Driving Prevention Week.
The defense is also asking for a sentence to be served in a federal institution, which will be better able to support her given that she is currently pregnant. Me Jean-Daniel Debkoski proposed 24 to 30 months of incarceration.
Judge Éric Côté will deliver his decision in May.