In September 2015, Ms. Morin did an about-face at a construction site on the Laurentian Highway. She crossed the traffic cones and ended up in the oncoming lane, where motorcyclist Jessy Drolet was unable to avoid the patrol car.
The accident happened in 2015.
Photo: Radio Canada
In a nearly 55-page decision Monday, Quebec Court Judge Frank D’Amours concluded that had the officer acted reasonably, she should have considered the risks involved in her deadly manoeuvre.
” […] A reasonable police officer finding himself in the same situation would have expected that vehicles could also be traveling in the opposite direction at high speed since he is on a freeway. […] The same sane police officer would also have anticipated that if a vehicle were to enter the oncoming lane he was attempting to cross, the vertical position of a squad car would then result in that lane being significantly obstructed. A collision is then very likely and there are practically no alternatives to avoid. »
— A quote from an excerpt from the judgment
According to Judge D’Amours, even if Isabelle Morin has activated her flashing lights, the police officer cannot expect an oncoming vehicle to recognize that it is turning between two beacons in front of him. […].
Isabelle Morin had already been acquitted in 2018, but had to defend her responsibility again in this case.
Initially, the Quebec court acquitted her after a 10-day trial, but the Quebec Court of Appeals overturned that judgment in 2021 and ordered a new wrongful-of-laws trial.
Ms Morin appealed to the Supreme Court, but since she refused to hear the case, the Court of Appeal’s decision was therefore upheld.
sense of justice
Jessy Drolet’s mother Marlene was present at the hearing.
I’ve been waiting for justice for seven years. I had justice The cop, she’s guilty. I had emotions because the judge decides, but I had confidence.
She wanted to acknowledge the work of Judge D’Amours. It seems that he understood me, that he understood what it means to lose a child. She is the cop [censée] know the traffic regulations. The judge understood that this is criminal negligence.
The mother says she misses her son every day, even more so during the holiday season.
She is asking for a maximum sentence of 14 years.
This is a very detailed decision, very well reasoned. The evidence was the same but presented differently by the witnesses, prosecution attorney Me Guy Loisel responded.
Ms Morin’s case will be resubmitted for sentencing next April.
Effects on the police
The Quebec City Police Officers’ Brotherhood is disappointed with the verdict.
This ruling will affect all of our police officers. Society expects us to be perfect and flawless beings. The verdict will undermine the troops’ morale, says its president Martine Fortier.
A Policewoman Finally Guilty: The Police Fraternity Response
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Duration of 6 minutes05:59
She assures that Isabelle Morin has been going through difficult times for almost seven years.
Martine Fortier believes that had Ms Morin not been a police officer there would have been no charges as she was not driving at high speed or with a disability.
Our police are reluctant to drive in an emergency. Sometimes we have calls where the time factor is too important. Are there police officers who will hesitate to commit traffic violations to get a call faster, at the risk of being tried and found guilty for a period of seven years? It’s there, me, my fear.
With information from Pierre-Alexandre Bolduc