Quebec will appeal the conditional discharge granted to the man who assaulted his wife

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The Quebec office of criminal prosecution (DPCP) announced it will appeal the conditional release issued last month by a Quebec court judge to a Gatineau man who pleaded guilty to attempting to strangle his wife with his hands and a pillow. .

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The Crown’s decision to appeal follows a July 27 ruling that saw Gatineau resident Joshua Schoo granted a conditional discharge after pleading guilty in March 2021.

According to the sentence issued by the Quebec court judge, Serge Laurin, the assault took place when the couple was ending their relationship. Her three children witnessed the assault and her 13-year-old daughter called the police.

Laurin gave Schoo a conditional discharge, meaning he would have no criminal record, describing the episode as “an isolated incident over the course of a 17-year marriage and not part of a pattern of domestic violence, but this incident affects psychological health. of (the victim) and her children”.

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Schoo, an Ottawa city employee who worked as a maintenance coordinator, was at risk of losing his job if he had a criminal record, a possibility that “would have a serious financial impact on his children (the victim) and himself.” the sentence said.

The judge said the criminal record would prevent Schoo from visiting his sister in the United States and vacationing there with his children. According to the reverend of Schoo’s church, a criminal conviction would prevent him from doing community work.

“The court denounces the reprehensible conduct of Mr. Schoo described in the facts and its consequences on (the victim) and his children. The court hopes that they will recover quickly, “says the sentence.

The victim stated that she “thought she was going to die” when she saw her ex-spouse with the pillow.

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Laurin ultimately ruled that “it is not in the public interest for Mr. Schoo to lose his job and be unable to support his family.” Schoo received a conditional discharge with three years probation and a ban on contacting the victim.

Last month, the DPCP announced it would appeal a decision by Quebec court judge Matthieu Poliquin after he issued a conditional discharge to engineer Simon Houle after he pleaded guilty to sexual assault and voyeurism.

People facing intimate partner violence can communicate SOS Combined Violence 24 hours a day at 1-800-363-9010.