Death of Fabienne Houde-Bastien | The driver had a blood alcohol level almost three times the limit

The driver accused of having killed the pedestrian Fabienne Houde-Bastien, last May, by running a red light, had a blood alcohol level almost three times higher than the legal limit. Despite the “serious” charges, his “contempt for the authorities” and his 40 statements of offence, Vi Trung Ngo was released on conditions.

May 21, 2023. After an evening with friends, Fabienne Houde-Bastien walks on Saint-Laurent Boulevard to her home. It was past 3 a.m. The young thirty-something takes to rue Jean-Talon. There is no one in sight.

Suddenly, the horror.

A driver arrives at high speed on Jean-Talon, burns his fire and hits head-on an SUV that was driving on Saint-Laurent. The impact is so violent that the vehicle hit rolls over and overturns on the young woman. Everything happens in the blink of an eye. Fabienne Houde-Bastien has no chance.

“These are particularly striking images that are difficult to watch,” summarizes judge Pierre Dupras.

Indeed, the images are unbearable. To demonstrate the seriousness of the accusations, we have chosen to show part of the scene, but removing the fateful seconds.

L’enquête sur remise en liberté de Vi Trung Ngo, qui s’est déroulée en juin dernier au palais de justice de Montréal, a permis de révéler de nouveaux détails sur cette affaire qui avait choqué le public. Le garagiste de 47 ans est accusé d’avoir blessé un homme et d’avoir tué Fabienne Houde-Bastien en conduisant avec les facultés affaiblies et avec une alcoolémie trop élevée.

Vi Trung Ngo présentait cette nuit-là une alcoolémie de 0,213 (213 milligrammes par 100 millilitres de sang), soit presque trois fois la limite légale de 0,08. Un taux « excessivement élevé », a fait valoir la procureure de la Couronne M^e Marie-Laurence Maisonneuve, le 15 juin dernier.

Les policiers, arrivés extrêmement rapidement sur place, ont constaté plusieurs signes d’intoxication : forte odeur d’alcool, perte d’équilibre, yeux vitreux. Vi Trung Ngo s’est aussi montré agressif. « Jamais », a souligné la Couronne, le chauffard ne s’est enquis de l’état des blessés. Pourtant, une jeune femme était morte et le conducteur de l’autre véhicule était amoché.

De plus, cette nuit-là, il conduisait le véhicule d’un de ses clients, apparemment sans son autorisation. Il est d’ailleurs accusé à ce sujet.

Nombreux antécédents

Propriétaire du garage Auto Vi dans Rosemont, Vi Trung Ngo est un incorrigible de la route. Il a reçu pas moins de 40 constats d’infraction, dont 4 fois avec un cellulaire en main, 2 fois pour un feu rouge brûlé et 5 fois sans permis de conduire.

A month before the collision, Vi Trung Ngo hit a low-speed vehicle in front of police officers. He then tried to “scroll away” by making the police believe that his employee owned the vehicle struck, which was false, according to the Crown.

“It paints the portrait of a person who is ready to mislead the police in order to avoid the consequences of his actions”, insisted M^e Maisonneuve.

And that’s not counting his criminal history of breaching conditions and personation, and the fact that he “stealed” a client’s vehicle the night of the crime, the Crown exposes.

It is for these reasons in particular that the prosecution demanded that Vi Trung Ngo remain detained during the legal proceedings. According to M^e Maisonneuve, releasing a man who has shown so much “contempt for the authorities and the safety of the public” would cause the public to lose its confidence in justice.

However, Judge Dupras was not of this opinion. In his view, it is not necessary to detain Vi Trung Ngo to ensure public safety and to maintain public confidence in justice.

Closed therapy

According to the judge, the accused has always worked and his background is not “heavy”. And above all, he wants to do therapy to stop consuming alcohol. Thus, Vi Trung Ngo will have to spend six months in closed therapy.

Yet far from declaring himself an alcoholic, Vi Trung Ngo summed up his consumption as being only “social”. “It’s when I see friends. But when I stay at home, no,” he testified. However, he says he doesn’t want to drink anymore.

“We realize that Monsieur has no alcohol problem. So why subject him to closed therapy? asked the Crown prosecutor.

According to the defense, Vi Trung Ngo may not have a “big alcohol problem”, but he has a “beginning of recognition” and wants to “cure his problem”.

If the judge considers that the probability of conviction is “very important”, the defense takes a different view. “Very powerful arguments will be submitted. There have clearly been very flagrant violations of the Canadian Charter by the police,” argued Ms.^e Roberto Fragasso.

Once out of therapy, Vi Trung Ngo will be able to work in his garage. However, the judge strictly prohibited him from driving a vehicle, and even from moving one in his garage.