Sexual assault: 11 months in prison for a former paramedic

A former paramedic guilty of sexually assaulting two patients while being transported to hospital was sentenced to 11 months in prison, even though he believed he could get away with much less because of his remorse.

“Health professionals who would be tempted to do like him must understand that these actions are unacceptable and heavy with consequences,” warned Judge David Simon in condemning Sylvain Depairon on Thursday at the Montreal courthouse.

Depairon, a 60-year-old paramedic who called himself “the king of the clowns” because of his other entertainment job, was handcuffed for his crimes dating back to 2017.

Vulnerable state

At the time, he was working for Urgences-santé when he first attacked a blind woman, then a woman in crisis, during their transport to hospital.

“They were both attached to a stretcher, in a state of great vulnerability,” lamented the magistrate. He took advantage of his status as an ambulance driver to satisfy his sexual urges. “

Consequences

In his decision, the judge recalled that Depairon’s actions had a major impact on the two victims.

The first thus indicated that it no longer trusted health professionals, while adding that “justice is not going to deliver what it [lui] he picked up “. The second victim, in a poignant testimony, said that four years later, she continues to rebuild herself.

“Psychologically, you destroyed me,” she told Depairon.

Thus, even if the latter hoped for prison on weekends and community work, it is rather behind bars that he will find himself for the next 11 months. And this, despite his remorse, his therapies and his low risk of recurrence.

“He is a demolished man who lost his job, his friends, his reputation”, pleaded his lawyer, Mr.^e Mike Junior Boudreau.

In addition to his prison sentence, Depairon will have to undergo a two-year probation. He will also be entered in the Sex Offender Register until his death.

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