Three girls devastated. A son consumed by guilt. A family destroyed. For his heinous crimes, an incestuous father deserves 16 years in penitentiary, according to the Crown. However, he is still hiding in another country, to the great despair of a victim who denounces the negligence of the judicial system.
Posted at 2:37 p.m.
What you need to know
- The Crown is seeking 16 years in prison for a man who sexually assaulted his three daughters in the 1990s.
- The incestuous father fled to another country before receiving his sentence. He is still wanted.
- A victim criticizes the justice system for having failed in its task by refusing to incarcerate his father.
“I have to be honest, Madam Judge: I have been destroyed since I found out that my father fled. I hoped to finally find peace, finally be able to sleep. The judicial system has failed in its duty to protect children from this monster,” said Christina*, one of the victims, in a letter read to the Court on Thursday at the Montreal courthouse.
Miguel*, a 65-year-old Montrealer, was convicted last year of sexually assaulting his three daughters in the 1990s. Described as a “dictator”, he notably threatened one of his daughters with cut out her tongue if she resisted. During the verdict, the three victims were upset: they learned for the first time what their sisters had experienced, in silence.
We must withhold the real name of the attacker to protect the identity of his daughters.
Crown prosecutor Me Jérôme Laflamme then called for the immediate incarceration of Miguel. A request rejected by judge Anne-Marie Manoukian, since the accused worked and had always respected his conditions. Note that it is rare for an accused to be incarcerated before the imposition of his sentence.
A few weeks later, the pedophile fled to California. Of Salvadoran origin, Miguel is now hiding in Mexico. He is “actively hunted” by the police, according to Me Laflamme. It is unknown how he managed to fly to the United States.
Miguel’s escape raises questions about the effectiveness of the passport confiscation process. Especially since several sex offenders awaiting their sentence have done the same thing in recent months.
“I always say: “Depositing the passport is not a guarantee. We can always go to the passport office and have it declared stolen.” […] The procedure is not perfectly watertight,” declared Mr.e Laflamme, last fall.
It was therefore in Miguel’s absence that the Crown demanded a severe sentence of 16 years in penitentiary on Thursday. Me Laflamme highlighted as aggravating factors the “exponential” and “significant” consequences of the crimes committed repeatedly against his three daughters.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Me Jérôme Laflamme, Crown prosecutor
“I am a survivor”
In a moving letter, Christina* recounted the hell she has been experiencing for three decades. “I survive one day at a time, one hour at a time, one second at a time. Every day, when I open my eyes, I remember that I am the daughter of a monster, that I am a survivor. The fact that his DNA is running through me makes me feel dirty,” she said.
Having become a mother as a teenager, Christina recalls the “hells” of her childhood. A childhood that was stolen from him by his father. “I was pure and innocent, I loved drawing, singing, dancing and writing. Unfortunately, my father killed the purity of my soul. He took my dreams, left me undead. He was the monster above my bed and will remain the monster in my life for the rest of my days,” she wrote.
His sister Martina* told the Court that she was still haunted by her father. “I lost all confidence in myself. I have an unhealthy fear of men,” she wrote. Their brother, Michael*, still lives with a feeling of guilt for having done nothing. However, he was only 8 years old. “I heard my sister’s screams in my head for a long time,” he says.
The judge will make her decision next April.
* Fictitious names
