Second refusal: no semi-release for a violent pimp who does not admit his wrongs

For a second time since his incarceration, a violent pimp convinced that he was the victim of a frame-up by his victims was refused his semi-release.

• Read also: Two victims of violent pimp terrified he could be released from custody

“Although it is clear that the non-recognition of offenses does not constitute a valid reason for refusal of release, the non-recognition of the problems, for its part, has a direct impact on the risk of recidivism,” can we read in the decision of the Parole Board of Canada rendered Friday, concerning Josué Jean.

Sentenced in 2019 to eight years of incarceration for having kept two victims under his influence from 2002 to 2009, the 46-year-old inmate hoped to get out of prison.

But he has just been refused his semi-release, even though his automatic release, provided for by law at two-thirds of his sentence, is scheduled for the fall. He also suffered a refusal in 2022.

His problem? He still denies having beaten and mistreated his victims so that they offered sexual services to clients.

At his trial, we learned that he had already made threats at gun point, pushed one down the stairs and thrown another out of a vehicle.

“[Les faits]I do not recognize them, whether today, in 5 years or in 10 years,” he said during his hearing earlier this week.

A setup”

Worse still, he says he is the victim of a frame-up by these women.

A worrying attitude, according to commissioners Micheline Beaubien and Evans Bédard.

“It is also worrying to note that the criminal period took place over approximately 6 years, which demonstrates a strong adherence to criminal values, a significant lack of consideration for the victims and a legitimization of the use of violence for control, but also by the propensity for easy and quick gain,” they added.

Josué Jean’s two victims had also testified that they were still terrified at the idea of ​​him being released.

If Josué Jean ended up admitting to having empathy for victims of sexual exploitation in general, he has none for those who sent him to prison.

A relieved victim

Moreover, he is convinced that he no longer represents a danger to society. By the time of his arrest, he had already moved away from his criminal lifestyle, he said.

But for the commissioners, this is “magical” thinking, considering its lack of introspection and questioning.

This refusal of semi-release reassured one of the victims, Marie-Michelle Desmeules, who had already had the order protecting her identity lifted, in order to speak freely about her after-effects.

“It was necessary for me to be present at the hearing and I think my determination to not want him to come out helped,” she said.