Attacks on Saint-Joseph: a bachelor party that is expensive

A bachelor party gone wrong will cost two men from Thetford Mines dearly, the first being sentenced to 18 months in prison for attacking a young man who wanted to attack his cousin after touching two young women , actions for which he received six months in the community.

• Also read: Attacks on Saint-Joseph: the two accused guilty across the board

• Also read: Attacks on Saint-Joseph: serious consequences for young victims

What was supposed to be a festive evening in anticipation of Martin Roussin-Bizier’s wedding will ultimately have forever transformed his life and that of his cousin.

Patrick Toussaint left the room in handcuffs on Thursday when judge Sarah-Julie Chicoine sentenced him to 18 months in prison for serious assault.

A father with no history and construction entrepreneur, the 41-year-old man will have to “bear the weight” of his decisions, insisted the magistrate, concluding that imprisonment in the community would not be an appropriate sentence given the violence of the crime.

For his part, Roussin-Bizier avoids detention, but will still have to serve a six-month house sentence in addition to carrying out 100 hours of community service.

“Sneaky and violent attack”

The events took place in the evening of September 10 to 11, 2022, in the festive sector of rue Saint-Joseph. Disguised as a woman for his bachelor party, Martin Roussin-Bizier then had his photo taken with passers-by.

On two occasions, he took advantage of the context to touch young women, slipping his hand under the dress of the first, touching her crotch, then taking the second by the hips to pull her towards his pelvis.

It was these inappropriate actions that ignited the situation and led to the second event. Because when his two friends reported having been attacked, Félix Bouchard-Jean quickly set out to find the person responsible. A verbal altercation followed then, when the young man attacked Roussin-Bizier, Patrick Toussaint came to his cousin’s defense by delivering a violent blow with a metal cane to the head of the victim, who never saw the attack happen.

“In such a vulnerable position, the victim had no possibility of protecting himself from this sneaky and violent attack. […] This type of aggression must be denounced,” concluded Judge Chicoine.

The attack, which was filmed by a passerby, left the victim unconscious on the ground, with a fractured skull, while the accused ran from the scene.

Appealing the verdict

The crown demanded firm detention for the two offenders, two fathers from the Thetford Mines region, without incident before the fateful evening.

For Patrick Toussaint, Me Chloé Émond had argued for the imposition of a four-year penitentiary sentence, while in defense, Me Marie-Josée Jobidon suggested imprisonment in the community for a period of nine months, arguing the self-defense.

The public prosecutor had requested twelve months in prison for the charges of sexual assault of Martin Roussin-Bizier, whom she described as the “common denominator” of the events. For her part, Me Caroline Gravel suggested that the judge stick to community service, a fine and three years’ probation.

The two offenders appealed the guilty verdict handed down at the end of their trial in January 2024. Patrick Toussaint’s lawyer confirmed that she would request the release of her client pending the appeal.

Serious consequences

At the trial and during sentencing submissions, the victims testified to the serious consequences that the evening had on their lives. Félix Bouchard-Jean notably recounted the pain caused by the metal plate and the screws in his skull, in addition to describing his difficulty concentrating which complicated his academic career.

“I feel angry with these two men for all these consequences. They deprived me of my right to fully choose what I would do with my life,” the victim confided.

The defense lawyer minimized these impacts, citing that the young man had participated in Jiu-Jitsu competitions since the attack.

Judge Sarah-Julie Chicoine, however, ruled that the injuries of the young man, who was 19 years old at the time of the events, had “significantly hindered his future plans”.