Former Quebec television producer Luc Wiseman, who was convicted of sexual interference with a 12-year-old girl, can be released from prison after serving six months, or a quarter of his sentence.
At the end of August 2022, he was sentenced to two years less a day in prison. The 67-year-old man had pleaded guilty to one count, admitting to having touched his young victim on three occasions in 2020 and 2021.
On Thursday, the parole board accepted the request for a “preparatory release for parole”. He can therefore be released from the detention center even if she judges that his explanations for the reprehensible acts “are not worthy of a man or a father. »
The Commission says it understands that he may have felt a void and loneliness, feeling in particular abandoned by his spouse who worked a lot, but that “this in no way justifies the actions taken. »
To be eligible for this “release preparatory to parole” stage, an inmate must have served one-sixth of their sentence. Leaving before the scheduled time is a privilege and not a right, the Commission often reminds us.
In her decision on Thursday, she notes that Luc Wiseman first minimized the facts, before acknowledging the three events in which he illegally touched the teenager. From an assessment produced in detention, the Commission notes that “you have named the many consequences of your actions, first for you with what this implies on the professional and personal levels, then for your daughters in relation to you, without name the personal consequences of the victim,” she notes dryly.
The man undertook therapy in detention and a specialized program in sexual offending. His exit plan provides that the therapies will continue. According to the Commission’s decision, his level of empathy towards the victim is “adequate” and he seeks to understand what prompted him to commit the wrongdoing. It is noted in his assessment that his risk of recurrence is deemed “very low. »
In short, for the Commission, the favorable elements are more decisive than the unfavorable elements. She believes that an early release will promote her social reintegration “while ensuring the safety of the public”.
Luc Wiseman will however be subject to a series of conditions, including that of continuing the therapies undertaken. His movements will be restricted and he will be prohibited from approaching or communicating with his victim.