The system had promised him peace of mind; here she is tormented, worried and exhausted. A woman victim of domestic violence says she fears the worst because her alleged assailant is on the loose without the anti-reconciliation bracelet recommended by many people close to the case.
“He strangled me and then hit me two weeks after I gave birth. »
“I had a perforated eardrum and a swollen ear. »
“I was afraid to eat something. »
The horrors described by Elizabeth* send shivers down your spine. The mother recounts having lived for years in the hell of domestic violence, under the yoke of Étienne*, a jealous, controlling husband struggling with consumption problems. She finally felt liberated when she denounced him last month, the victim explains to The Press.
He was charged with assault, criminal harassment and harassing communications in April.
The control exercised by her ex-spouse began in 2017, the victim alleges.
The couple sometimes lives separately, without officially breaking up.
The Department of Youth Protection (DPJ) entered the couple’s life four years ago due to the risk of neglect due to her husband’s consumption. The latter has supervised visits with the children and follows therapies imposed by the youth court, but nothing helps.
His alcohol problem does not improve and the violence persists. When conditions are imposed on him during times when the couple is separated, Étienne does not always respect them, according to the victim.
Shelters – where she stayed more than once –, workers, health network: each level of intervention recommended the wearing of an anti-reconciliation bracelet when the accused was arrested.
Elizabeth has difficulty explaining why, in this explosive context, the court decided that it did not need it, she says.
How can we hope that someone who has already followed her, who broke into her home when the Youth Court forbade him to do so and who has threatened in the past to set the house on fire will respect her conditions without a security device? monitoring ? she asks herself.
Released without bracelet
Étienne was briefly detained in early April awaiting his appearance after Elizabeth’s complaint to the police. She then decides to break up. For real. With a view to the conditional release of her ex-spouse, the prosecutor in the case calls Élizabeth. She informs him that the bracelet will be put in place. It’s just a matter of formality.
I said, “Yes, I want the bracelet.” I realized the magnitude [de sa colère] and I was scared.
Elizabeth
Two days later, a probation officer contacted her. We ask him for all the addresses: main residence, daycare, school. Information used to configure the geolocation tool. “I feel that this is going to be put into effect, so I am canceling my request for accommodation,” she adds. She then feels relieved not to have to leave her house with her children. All in a context where shelters for abused women are full to bursting.
PHOTO ERICK LABBÉ, LE SOLEIL ARCHIVES
Anti-reconciliation bracelets are used particularly in contexts of domestic violence.
Last weekend. Then on Monday, the disappointment: “The bracelet didn’t work,” M told him.e Jade Desnoyers-Latendresse on the phone, according to the victim’s version.
During their conversation, the prosecutor tells him that the bracelet will not be implanted because of Étienne’s job, relates Élizabeth. Étienne is a prolific salesman who often has to travel for work. He is subject to a curfew and communication bans, according to court documents.
Elizabeth feels like nothing, she sums up. “The system prioritizes its job over my sense of security. His job is more important than my safety. »
Étienne has a job that requires a lot of travel, says the victim.
It is the probation service which determines whether the anti-reconciliation bracelet can be used, explains the prosecutor, Me Jade Desnoyers-Latendresse. “But the decision is taken by the DPCP based on the result of the feasibility analysis and an analysis of the personal situation of the accused and the victim in order to determine whether it is a condition which can be imposed,” she clarified to The Press by email.
She did not detail the reasons for the decision not to install a bracelet, since the information is not public in the court file.
“In the vast majority of cases, the decision whether or not to order the anti-reconciliation bracelet measure rests with the courts. The Correctional Services of the Ministry of Public Security, for their part, administer these decisions,” replied the Ministry of Public Security, which oversees correctional services. During legal proceedings, it is up to the judge to rule on the use of the anti-reconciliation bracelet, it is added.
Conditions not respected
We meet Élizabeth on April 23, in her house with Pinterest-worthy country decor in a wealthy area of a Montreal suburb.
She then verbalizes her apprehensions: there is no guarantee that her ex-partner will respect her conditions. “He never respected the conditions of the DPJ. »
His fears turned out to be well-founded. The week following our interview, Étienne contacted her by email, she told us. Failure to comply with a condition was added to his file on April 30. Still no bracelet.
Because he has a job, I go through the net.
Elizabeth
It took Elizabeth years to escape a violent and traumatic situation. She is now left with the burden of ensuring her own safety.
She is currently waiting for a response from Compensation for Victims of Crime (IVAC) to obtain funds to install a surveillance system in her home. “It’s me running to protect myself. »
The government wanted to act in prevention in the face of the numerous feminicides shaking the province, supports Élizabeth. “But this is the system that is letting me down. If I had known, I would have gone to a shelter. What else are we going to wait for him to do? », asks the victim.
*Fictitious first names