A victim traumatized by her bully

A sex offender who harassed a passer-by on the street should walk away with a pardon, much to the chagrin of the victim, who has lived in fear since the crime.

“Three years later, I’m still afraid of him. He took away this feeling of living in peace, I had to leave Montreal, then the province, then Canada. I’m still afraid of Adamo Bono, ”testified Anastasia Boldieff this Monday, at the Montreal courthouse.

With a trembling voice and obviously nervous, the woman recounted the impact of the harassment she suffered in October 2019 from Adamo Bono, a 40-year-old Montrealer who had just been released in a case of sexual assault.

That day, the woman was downtown when she noticed Bono staring at her. The latter then approached her with compliments, prompting the woman to ignore him and start at a quick pace.

sex offender

“How can we turn a no into a yes? Bono, who said he wanted a date, asked her then.

The woman sent him off, but a few days later she ran into Bono again. And this time, he let her know that he wouldn’t leave her alone until he got her phone number.

Bono finally got what he wanted. Shortly after, he sent two messages to Mr.^me Boldieff which remained unanswered.

Fearing for her safety, the woman went to file a complaint with the police. Subsequently, she discovered that her stalker was a sex offender who had just been released from the Philippe-Pinel Institute, after being found not criminally responsible for two sexual assaults.

One of them was on a woman he had spotted on a bus.

“The Commission is satisfied that the accused still represents […] a significant risk to the safety of the public”, had however affirmed an administrative court before releasing Bono.

From that moment, M.^me Boldieff says she plunged into an even deeper fear that prevented her from working well or studying.

“He dehumanized me,” the woman said.

major trauma

Accused of harassment, Bono finally pleaded guilty on Monday. His lawyer, Mr.^and Maya Amar, dwelled at length on the limitations of the accused, while recalling that he was always followed by psychiatrists.

And even though the victim suffered a deep trauma, the lawyer estimated that, in the circumstances, Bono could benefit from a discharge conditional on a two-year probation, which means that he would not have a sentence of jail.

The Crown prosecutor, Mr.^and Khalid Alguima, was of the same opinion, while showing great empathy for the victim.

Judge Flavia Longo will deliver her decision by the end of the month.