A 41-year-old man who harassed Annie Villeneuve for several years was sentenced Wednesday to 150 hours of community service and a no-contact order to protect the singer. The latter said she was relieved to finally be able to turn this chapter of her life around as she said she had “endured the unbearable for too long”
David Lachapelle, a Mont-Laurier man, pleaded guilty last April to the harassment charge over communications directed at him.
According to facts presented at the Quebec courthouse on Wednesday, the 41-year-old was an admirer of the singer since her early days in the first version of Star Académie. However, the facts with which the defendant is accused extend over the last three years.
Pierre-Paul Biron, Journal de Quebec
Attending her shows, visits to the radio station where she works, numerous gifts, incessant calls, messages on social networks – Lachapelle’s love for the singer was obsessive.
“I would like to sleep with you until I have a child”
“What’s the next step? My house? My grocery store? My daughter’s school? I’m afraid it has to stop,” Annie Villeneuve said in a letter read in court.
Undressed and photos as a gift
The situation was such that before each show, the singer’s tour manager checked whether David Lachapelle had bought a ticket and devised a plan to avoid her meeting him. Photos of the man were also placed in each room so he could be identified and “remain under the radar during and after the evening.”
“I would have done that right,” Ms. Villeneuve said.
Joël Lemay / QMI Agency
In particular, Lachapelle sent him a most disturbing gift.
“A red negligee,” the artist testified, adding that there were also several photos there, one that caught his attention.
“A montage of the two of us, in a heart, with a message behind the photo: “Remembering our honeymoon in Ibiza”. With a date, my friend’s birthday,” recalled Ms. Villeneuve, still in shock, and regretted that this harassment also affected those around her and all areas of her life.
No contact
David Lachapelle was ultimately sentenced to 150 hours of community service and a three-year probation period, including 18 months of supervised release. He is prohibited from being in the presence of the artist or his family members and from harassing them.
Judge Frank D’Amours also made clear comments about these bans.
“This includes the workplace and is not limited to all events where Ms. Villeneuve’s presence is required, be it a film location, a show, a festival, a radio station, promotional events, etc.[…] As soon as you are informed of Madame’s presence somewhere, it is up to you to leave,” the judge insisted.
David Lachapelle, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, will also have to undergo mental health monitoring. The judge also banned the person from owning firearms for a period of 10 years.
Find your freedom
As she left the courtroom, Annie Villeneuve made it a point to address the media to send a message aimed at her colleagues in the artistic community, but also at everyone who experienced harassment.
Pierre-Paul Biron, Journal de Quebec
The main thing, in her opinion, is never to accept and denounce.
“What I remember most is that when we file a complaint when someone harasses us, in the end we only allow them to get help and we regain our freedom,” emphasized the singer and presenter.
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