Threatening someone on social networks can have serious legal consequences. A man learned this the hard way after threatening the columnist with death. The Press Patrick Lagace. The culprit will now drag a criminal record.
“You better shut up, smatt. Did you understand ? Took me apart alive, my sacrament. »
Patrick Stephenson sent these threats to Patrick Lagacé on Facebook on January 5, 2022, for an unknown reason.
Accused a few weeks later of having uttered threats, Patrick Stephenson admitted his guilt on February 20 at the Montreal courthouse. The 46-year-old Ontarian was then “heavily intoxicated” and suffered from depression, said the Crown prosecutor. He has now been sober for four months.
Judge Pierre Dupras followed the common suggestion of the parties and sentenced Patrick Stephenson to a suspended sentence (suspended sentence) and 12 months probation during which he will have to perform 60 hours of community work. He thus receives a criminal record.
Patrick Lagacé, a seasoned journalist who also hosts programs at 98.5 FM and Télé-Québec, is often the target of bitter Internet users, particularly since the start of the pandemic.
In February 2022, Pascal Perrault, a 49-year-old Boisbriand resident was sentenced to a suspended sentence and 18 months probation for threatening Patrick Lagacé on social media in the summer of 2021.