A sex offender guilty of having kidnapped, confined and assaulted a victim did not violate the rules of collaboration with a psychologist, as required by the court, a judge rules.
Still in detention, Patrick Lévesque Paquette, who was accused of having refused to participate in therapy sessions, was finally acquitted of this charge.
“What the accused does not consent to concerns the limits on confidentiality required by the [Service correctionnel du Canada]and not to participate in the sessions of counseling psychological,” argued the defense, thus allowing the judge to sow reasonable doubt about the guilt of the accused.
Still according to the defense, the evidence demonstrated that the acquitted, Patrick Lévesque Paquette, “wanted to participate in the sessions of counseling“, we read in the recently rendered judgment.
Attendance at these sessions was part of the conditions of the long-term supervision order imposed on the offender. Although he is acquitted in this case, the judgment clearly reiterates that “the accused is a dangerous individual with a high risk of recidivism”.
Guilty of a violent sexual crime
In 2019, Patrick Lévesque Paquette was found guilty of a string of charges in a sordid case of kidnapping, forcible confinement and sexual assault against a woman.
“He used subterfuge by pretending to be a police officer… The victim had no defense,” lamented judge Denys Noël at the Saint-Hyacinthe courthouse.
These crimes, which date back to 2015, had been carefully premeditated by the offender, now 33 years old.
He also had 6,000 files of child and animal pornography in his possession at his home in Quebec.
During this trial, he quickly pleaded guilty to 14 counts.
In July 2021, he was automatically released, two thirds of his sentence. But he is then caught in possession of books on sexuality and youth. Since then, he has been in and out of detention for breaches of conditions.
Strict conditions
In addition to having to participate in these therapy sessions, Lévesque Paquette was prohibited from possessing pornographic material, means of telecommunications or accessing the internet.
During a search of his room in June 2023, a book of Greek mythology with sexually explicit content was seized. When he returned to detention, a cell phone was discovered in his cell.
The charges against him for failing to comply with long-term supervision were filed following a court recommendation in November 2023. He faced a maximum prison term of 10 years.
“You seem to be using your energies to challenge the measures put in place around you, rather than focusing your attention on exploring your risk factors,” lamented the Parole Board of Canada in a decision concerning the offender.
The latter also wanted to appeal a judge’s decision to label him a delinquent as well as the rejection of a motion he had made to dismiss the proceedings.
The court rejected the appeal.
With information from Michaël Nguyen and Érika Aubin
