A hardened criminal who can’t seem to stop himself from beating the women he associates with may well have hit a wall, as the Crown is now calling for him to be given the unenviable label of “long-term offender.”
“His [récentes] violent recidivism demonstrates his marked indifference as to the consequences that his actions can have on others, and more particularly in a context of domestic violence or against women,” asserts M.e Véronique Warthold in her motion filed this week at the Montreal courthouse.
This is because Alain Paquet, a 59-year-old Montrealer who was already involved in criminal bikers when he was younger, is not an altar boy. Strangulations, armed assaults, kidnappings, extortion… Since 1982, he has had no less than 32 convictions for violent acts which have earned him long stays in the penitentiary.
“The period between 2002 and 2007 marks his longest period of freedom,” the request states. However, it will have been marked by domestic violence.
Women targeted
His most recent crimes date back to 2022, when he attacked women again.
“I wanted to leave, but he didn’t want to,” a first victim told the police. He was screaming, he grabbed my arm […] He made several threats. For a moment, he grabbed me by the hair […]. He took a steak knife and tried to stab me. Just before the police arrived, he was running after me with the knife.”
As for the second event, concerning a second woman, Paquet had first copiously insulted her and threatened to kill her, before strangling her, and then placing a blade on the victim’s throat.
“If you scream and the neighbor hears you, I will kill you,” Paquet allegedly said. I’m going to cut you up. I’m going to put you in a dumpster.”
According to the woman, Paquet then said that he would “start” by killing her, and then “settle the cases of other people”.
The victim had suffered post-traumatic shock, which still has repercussions on his daily life months later.
Not repentant
Following these recent crimes, Paquet pleaded guilty to, among other things, strangulation, false imprisonment and threats towards the two victims. But if he was hoping for a simple prison sentence, the Crown asked to go even further, due to his high risk of recidivism and also his low level of introspection.
“He seems indifferent to the consequences on others, tending to deny the majority of violent acts and to take little responsibility for the actions for which he was found guilty in the past,” we can read in a psychiatric report.
Faced with this situation and to protect women, the Crown is therefore demanding a seven-year penitentiary sentence. And if the judge agrees to label Paquet as a long-term offender, even once he is free, he will have to submit to conditions imposed by the correctional service.
“There are little things with which I do not agree,” Paquet said during a brief return to court this week.