The criminal investigation manager accused of domestic violence is jealous and addicted to crack and is said to have violated the no-contact order with his ex no fewer than four times within a few weeks.
“Trust me! I promise you it won’t happen again, I’ll keep my distance from her, I’ll never contact her again, that’s for sure!” Patrick Martial pleaded with Hougni in the courtroom on July 7 Judge who released him pending his trial at the Longueuil courthouse.
The 42-year-old had just been charged with assault, harassment and breaching his terms and conditions.
But despite his good promises, the defendant allegedly did it again less than two months later by contacting his ex again, for the fourth time since June.
A year ago, Mr. Hougni’s wife discovered he was using crack. The man also adopted worrying behavior: he monitored her comings and goings, spied on her emails, contacted her work colleagues, prosecutor Me Annabelle Racine summarized in court.
Crack addict
A federal Crown prosecutor is responsible for the file, as Mr. Hougni holds a senior position with the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP), which authorizes and directs prosecutions in Quebec.
He is not a lawyer but serves as head of administrative services. According to an organizational chart available online, he would be part of the Major Crimes and Special Affairs Bureau.
Patrick Martial Hougni was first arrested in February following a domestic dispute.
The couple later separated. But the woman had to call the police two more times, including once because he allegedly broke into her house to sleep in the basement.
She finally filed a complaint last June.
Mr Hougni is then said to have continued to harass his ex-partner by sending her text messages or calling her, sometimes from unknown numbers. He also allegedly posed as a private investigator and said he took several pictures of her.
Recidivism
Hougni was arrested again in early July but was narrowly released.
Judge Marc-André Gauthier admitted that he had “hesitated” for a long time whether he should be released given his control aspect, but finally agreed, particularly because he had no previous convictions.
“This lady has the right to have peace, to meet whoever she wants, to see whoever she wants,” preached the judge and imposed strict conditions on the defendant.
But last August, Patrick Hougni was arrested again, this time for coming within 500 meters of his ex-wife’s apartment.
He has since been released, but with the obligation to remain in a closed facility for drug addicts for a period of six months.
He returns to court next December.
The DPCP declined to comment on the matter. It was impossible to know whether Mr. Hougni is still employed by the DPCP or whether he has been suspended.
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