A municipal court judge has just been called to order for using stereotypes about drug addicts in the sentencing of a former “crystal meth” user.
In 2019, David Roy was convicted of assault with a weapon and common assault before Judge Gaëtan Plouffe.
During the sentencing observations, Judge Plouffe then argued that David Roy, a former consumer of “crystal meth”, was still using.
“I look at him and I’m not sure that this gentleman isn’t using yet. […] You have trouble lining up two sentences [sic] said the judge.
“It is unquestionably inappropriate to make such generalizations about human behavior,” noted Superior Court Judge Myriam Lachance, adding that Judge Plouffe “had no evidence to suggest [que David Roy] was still consuming.
According to Judge Lachance, Judge Plouffe “doubted the steps of [David Roy] related to his substance abuse problem given the fact that he could not tell the exact date of the beginning of his sobriety.
Recurrences
Judge Plouffe had stated that “people who have freed themselves from drug addiction or alcoholism remember exactly the moment when they stopped using”.
Judge Plouffe then sentenced David Roy to a suspended sentence and one-year probation with 40 hours of community service.
This month, the Superior Court finally granted David Roy a discharge, conditional on 2 years probation and 40 hours of community service.
This is not the first time that Judge Gaëtan Plouffe has been criticized for his remarks in court.
Judge Plouffe notably received a reprimand from the Conseil de la magistrature in 2020 for having insulted an accused during a hearing about a violation of the highway safety code
Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com