A repeat offender who has already spent half of his adult life in custody has been given another lengthy sentence that will keep him behind bars until 2040 for a series of burglaries while on probation.
• Also read: A repeat thief locked up again
“We’re talking about a pen [d’antécédents] This includes 64 pages. »
This is how Judge Stéphane Poulin described the extent of the criminal life of Martin Poulin, who has already spent a large part of his life in prison and is not ready to get out.
The 51-year-old was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Friday for a series of burglaries between the end of 2021 and spring 2022. At the time, the serial thief was in prison in a case where he had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for similar crimes.
$140,000 in 45 homes
It was the defendant’s own actions that enabled the police to track him down. Door forced open, exit plan facing backwards, chair blocking the door in case the owners return unexpectedly and cleats leaving marks, Poulin was recognizable.
In total, the person targeted 45 homes in Quebec, Charlevoix and Côte-de-Beaupré and stole mostly money and jewelry.
“The total amount of thefts, and this is exactly what we were able to quantify, is $140,852 in theft and $29,650 in damages,” described Crown prosecutor Me Fabien Villemaire.
The verdict results from a joint proposal between the latter and the defense lawyer Me Gabriel Michaud-Brière.
Until 2040
The sentence imposed also follows on from a sentence already in progress.
Since Poulin will serve the already imposed sentence of 10 years until 2027, to which we add the new sentence of 13 years, he will therefore be imprisoned until 2040.
“This is a person for whom we actually no longer have any tools,” admitted the representative of the public prosecutor’s office when presenting the proposed joint proposal. “We would end up imposing sentences that would be grossly excessive under the criminal code for the crimes committed. »
“Elsewhere I know that I would deserve to stay in prison until the end of my life for what I did, but I am still happy to have a last chance at life,” confided Martin Poulin, who spoke about Will be 70 years old at the end of his sentence.
“Self-sabotage”
Me Michaud-Brière, who described his client’s criminal actions as “self-sabotage”, emphasized that since his return to prison he has carried out psychological and psychiatric follow-up examinations.
Specifically, he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
“Every time I have everything I need to be successful outside, but when something goes wrong, I fail and cause damage,” the serial thief explained, admitting “very disheartened by what happened to me Experience”.
This is the third significant penalty for Martin Poulin in recent years. He received six years in 2016, 10 years in 2017 for actions that occurred before the first sentence, and finally 13 years this time.
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