The Sûreté du Québec and the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal will have to pay nearly $292,000 to four stage technicians who were traumatized by the attack committed by Richard Henry Bain at the Metropolis during the election victory speech of the first Minister Pauline Marois on September 4, 2012.
In a 105-page judgment rendered earlier this week, Judge Philippe Bélanger of the Superior Court of Quebec concluded that the two police forces “failed in their obligation to ensure the safety of the public”, and in particular that of the four plaintiffs, Guillaume Parisien, Audrey Dulong-Bérubé, Jonathan Dubé and Gaël Ghiringelli.
According to the magistrate, “the absence of a police presence and a security perimeter behind the Metropolis was a major flaw in this security plan, which tragically benefited Richard Henry Bain”, who is now serving a sentence life in prison without the possibility of parole for 20 years.
The attack cost the life of Denis Blanchette and seriously injured Dave Courage, two colleagues of the plaintiffs, before his weapon jammed. Meanwhile, Quebecers following the speech on screen were flabbergasted to see new Prime Minister Pauline Marois being dragged away by her bodyguards in the middle of her victory speech.
“The SQ and the SPVM have indeed committed a fault by not ensuring any police presence, nor security perimeter behind the Metropolis”, writes Judge Blanchette, who blames “the lack of communication and coordination” in the deployment of police personnel and the absence of “police protection at the very place where the new Premier of Quebec was to be evacuated following her speech. »
More details will follow.
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