Surreal scene during the hearing on the sentence of the young people who threatened to repeat a “Columbine” killing in their school. By vociferating against the journalists in full argument, the defense lawyer provoked a panic attack in the father of a co-defendant. Even the Crown prosecutor did not appear to plead.
Me Hughes Surprenant turns theatrically towards the audience, brandishing his computer on which is displayed the article by the representative of The Press. “I hope never again!” Never again ! A journalist will write: “in their murderous madness”. I hope that we will never write that again, ”thunders the lawyer.
Immediately, the father of the co-accused is seized with discomfort and collapses in his seat. Stupor in the courtroom. After the break, Crown prosecutor Me Claudie Marmet is no longer there, replaced by a colleague, to the surprise of the judge. The prosecutor was no longer “able” to be in the courtroom, vaguely summarizes her colleague. The public prosecutor will plead in writing.
Although this scene was quite exceptional, Judge Paul Grzela did not comment on it in the courtroom.
Before all this brouhaha, Mr.e Surprenant demanded an absolute discharge for his 16-year-old client, as recommended in the pre-sentence report. He also portrayed the accused as a victim of the police and the system. “Adults have snuck up on this file! “, cursed Me Surprising, tapping on the table.
In no case did the two co-defendants tried on Friday, a 16-year-old boy and girl, intend to take action, their lawyers pleaded. It was just a “bad joke”, summarized Me Christine Brosseau, who defends the co-defendant. “It was not intended to come out of the private group,” argued Me Surprising.
The facts of the case, however, are extremely troubling. The two co-accused and their two accomplices – already on trial – discussed in 2021 on social networks a very specific plan to kill students from their secondary school in the Saint-Michel district. They wanted to reproduce the Columbine massacre in the United States.
One of the accomplices had even created a document that detailed minute by minute the course of the killing. A plan that involved gunning down the students and throwing Molotov cocktails at the runaways. The young people also wanted to drag a student to the school microphone to kill him. “We’re going to shoot him in the balls while he sings,” the plan read.
The victim, a 17-year-old boy, is scarred for life. His mother gave powerful testimony on Friday, lamenting that the co-defendants still say today that it was all a joke.
“When we saw in the evidence that four young people were plotting to commit an attack, that they wanted to kidnap our son, tie him to the intercom, then shoot him, no one thought it was funny! Nobody ! Especially right now in Montreal with all the shootings, schools closing because they are receiving threats,” said the victim’s mother.
The file will be back next March.