Patrick Jacob, who committed acts of extreme violence against two women over several months, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, the court ruled Wednesday at the Montreal courthouse. A case that “akin to torture.”
“In fact, he breaks them psychologically to better dominate them. He makes them his sexual slaves,” summarizes Judge Alexandre Dalmau, who recalls that several of the repeated sexual assaults on the victims were planned, deliberate, and had a high degree of violence.
Justice Dalmau agreed with the Crown’s suggestion of 12 years in prison. “It must be concluded that this is not a case where the rehabilitation efforts undertaken prior to sentencing allow for a departure from the lower end of the range of sentences usually imposed for similar cases.”
Last December, the accused pleaded guilty to several charges related to the crimes committed against the two victims who cannot be named due to a publication ban. In addition to the prison sentence, Mr. Jacob will be placed on the sex offender registry for life.
A “slave to fear”
The 40-year-old man’s first victim suffered repeated sexual, verbal, psychological and physical abuse. The offender’s conduct, which ranges from group sexual assaults to coercive control aimed at isolating the victim, is dehumanizing and recurrent.
“Just a few months after moving in with him, she is changed forever. […] Her self-esteem and daily habits became a mirror of the offender’s expectations. She became a slave to fear,” the judge noted. Living with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, the victim had to “be very creative and resourceful in her healing process.”
Patrick Jacob treats his second victim like a female dog, forcing her to wear chokers dedicated to dogs, drinking from the ground and kicking them with steel-toed boots.
He burned her breasts with a “crack pipe to clearly mark his property by reminding her that she is his dog. In fact, he brands his intimate partner with a hot iron as was once done with cattle,” the judge explained. He described the action as particularly degrading for the victim, who still bears scars today.
“If I could, I would tear them out. I don’t want to see them anymore, they’re like a memory. […] “He’s still the one who inhabits my body, I don’t know what love is anymore,” quotes Judge Dalmau, reporting the words of the second victim.
The number of sexual assaults, their high level of violence, their cruel and degrading nature, the use of hard drugs to force the victims to commit sexual violence, as well as the level of harm to the physical health and integrity of the victims were notably retained as aggravating factors by the judge.
Mr. Jacob’s “strategy”
Several expert assessments consider that the risk of recidivism for Mr. Jacob, who has narcissistic and borderline personality traits, is high. However, the sadomasochistic offender believes he does not need therapy and disclaims responsibility, minimizing his actions and blaming drugs. His lawyer, Me Vicky Powell suggested five years in prison.
The judge remained skeptical of the attacker’s apologies, wondering whether they had “a utilitarian role as he prepares to receive his sentence.” During sentencing observations, the executioner said he realized the impact of his crimes, regretted them, and apologized. However, the workers charged with evaluating him noted a lack of empathy and a certain contempt for his victims.
“The recognition of the facts and the problematic nature of his conduct seem to evolve depending on the role of his interlocutor,” said the judge, who believes that Mr. Jacob’s guilty plea was partly motivated by strategy. The offender also admitted to a probation officer that he pleaded guilty in order to avoid being declared a dangerous or long-term offender.