The Crown finished presenting its evidence on the third day of the trial of Patrick Houle, who is accused of manslaughter by his dogs.
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The defendant was called to the witness stand to give his version of the facts.
His lawyer, Me Bernard Raymond, quickly painted a portrait of a good father and grandfather who cared about the well-being of his animals and those close to him.
Mr Houle said he had never felt welcome in the community since arriving in Val-des-Sources in December 2019. According to him, he was insulted by local residents, some of whom did not appreciate the presence of his magnesium recycling company.
During the first part of his testimony, which lasted more than two hours, the events of August 31, 2021 were discussed, when three ladies were attacked by five Great Danes that had allegedly escaped from the fence around the Magnésium Technologie Recycles company, the attack His animals that were thrown at him were only touched upon.
Instead, the defendant contradicted the different versions of the key witnesses who appeared before him.
He claims his dogs are well socialized and interact freely with employees without ever showing signs of aggression.
He said he was overwhelmed by what he learned during the process. Of all the events described by witnesses, he only remembered an unfortunate incident with a cyclist in which the dogs attacked her.
Patrick Houle will continue his testimony on Thursday.