A Quebec man who did not accept his partner’s decision to leave him will spend the next 18 months in prison for intentionally driving his car into a highway wall while his ex sat in the passenger seat, He also harassed her and committed mischief in her home and those close to her.
• Also read: Domestic Violence: An anti-reconciliation bracelet is recommended for an ex who caused an accident
Judge Thomas Jacques made clear comments about Richard Cloutier when he handed down the sentence in early October.
“If the separation could legitimately cause disappointment, sadness and anger, it could in no way justify the adopted behavior,” the judge emphasized.
He sentenced the 60-year-old to a total sentence of one and a half years in prison, or twelve months for dangerous driving causing bodily harm and a further six months for harassment. A sentence of 3 months, which is served concurrently, is also taken into account for acts and breaches of duty.
Violent collision
In the summer of 2020, Richard Cloutier was dumped by his partner of the last five years. During a walk to convince her one last time, the man loses patience when his ex-partner confirms his decision.
As he drove her home on Capital Highway, he told her he felt taken advantage of before taking two deep breaths and jerking the steering wheel to the right as he accelerated.
“Stop, you’re crazy,” the victim had time to say “with full force” before the impact, the judge said in his decision.
The woman suffered a broken wrist and injuries to her vertebrae due to the force of the impact. His arm injury also requires surgery and approximately thirty follow-up physical therapy visits.
Harassment and misdeeds
A complaint was filed with the authorities and a no-contact order was issued against Richard Cloutier, but that didn’t stop there.
In December 2020 and January 2021, he went to his ex’s house several times to damage his car’s windshield and tires. He also attacked the vehicle of one of the woman’s friends who had come to calm her down. Cloutier also left a gas can marked “Tic-tac” outside the woman’s home.
He also went to his victim’s daughter’s apartment in Montreal to cause water damage.
“Not only did the defendant express his anger in a violent manner, endangering his ex-spouse’s life and his own […] “he continues his violent behavior for several months after the separation,” Judge Jacques noted in his decision, deploring another episode of domestic violence that required “a seizure of control.”
“Low awareness”
In his comments on the ruling, Richard Cloutier minimized the impact of his actions when asked about the possibility of wearing an anti-reconciliation bracelet, arguing his case was not of the nature of a man beating his wife.
In his judgment, Judge Jacques highlighted this trivialization and emphasized that the deterrence objectives were “all the more necessary for the defendant, who is hardly aware of the seriousness of the measures taken”.
If the defense requested community sentencing, the judge considered that the defendant “still poses a risk to the safety of the community” to explain his 18-month sentence.
In addition to the prison sentence, Richard Cloutier was given a three-year driving ban after being charged with dangerous driving causing risk of injury.
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