A Montrealer who strangled and beat his ex-wife hoped to get away without a record to travel

A Montrealer who hoped to obtain a discharge after an episode of domestic violence so that he could continue to travel will instead have to spend 90 days in prison to reflect on his actions, he who still blames his ex-partner for the evening he strangled her and beaten because he believed her to be unfaithful.

“The offender expressed regret, but no empathy for the victim. He seems more concerned about the possible consequences of a criminal record on his own life than about the consequences suffered by the victim,” said judge Randall Richmond, of the municipal court of Montreal.

According to the magistrate, “granting a discharge in the particular circumstances of this case would send the wrong message and trivialize the actions” of Ibrahim Khalil Sid, who pleaded guilty to assault, assault with a weapon, fact causing bodily harm and mischief.

The 29-year-old man, who is in charge of a laboratory at the École de technologies supérieure (ÉTS) in Montreal, was convinced that his ex-spouse, with whom he formed a couple for a year, was cheating on him.

On March 18, 2022, when they had just spent the evening at the Old Port of Montreal, the two began to argue at the home of the accused because he insisted on seeing his messages on Instagram.

He prevents her from leaving

Sid then became very violent towards the woman, preventing her from leaving the apartment, drinking water and spitting on her while insulting her.

” [La victime] walks towards the exit door as he pushes her, “legs” her and slaps her. He pulls her to the ground and drags her,” the decision reads.

She then wanted to call her sister, but the accused took the victim’s cell phone, preventing her from reaching anyone. He then tried to strangle his wife, who wanted to go out on the balcony to alert neighbors.

“She wants to leave, but he stops her. He hits her in the face with the cell phone and hits her in the forehead. He pulls her into the living room and slaps her in the face. […] He throws the cell phone at him in the face and hits him at the level of the lips, ”says the judgment.

Before the police arrived on the scene, the accused was able to clean up the blood and water on the floor and change his clothes, in addition to cleaning the bloodied face of the victim.

The marked victim

In a statement read out in court, the victim described how she is still scarred by the events, as her body displays scars due to the violence of Ibrahim Khalil Sid.

“Every day when I look in the mirror, I remember that night. […] I no longer have self-esteem and I trust no one since the events,” she described.

She implored the judge not to grant the accused a discharge.

“[Il] does not deserve an absolute discharge, because it is as if the system gives him reason to treat women in such a way, the victim pointed out. This man destroyed me and he seems to get away with it without consequences.

He blames the victim

The accused tried to convince the judge that he deserved an absolution because he had started therapy and had moved on. Ibrahim Khalil Sid also pointed out that a criminal record would prevent him from traveling, especially for work, but also to see a woman he is dating in the United States.

But magistrate Randall Richmond mainly noted that the accused lacks empathy for his ex-spouse. During a meeting with his probation officer, he even “attempted to assign blame to the victim” and contradicted the agreed statement of facts.

“It’s not encouraging. This gives the impression that he believes he can manipulate the legal system to his advantage,” the judge warned.

He therefore sentenced the accused to serve 90 days of imprisonment intermittently on weekends. He will also have to respect numerous conditions during a three-year probation, which notably prohibits him from communicating with the victim and from approaching him.