Response salt of a chief of police

Photo Axel Marchand-Lamothe
The ex-mayor of L’assomption, Jean-Claude Gingras, has filed a defamation suit of$ 85,000 against the chief of police of the city, Normand Desjardins, in 2016. This comes to replicate, asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit that it qualifies as abusive, and to order the former mayor to pay him$ 50,000 in compensation.

Éric Thibault

Friday, 25 August, 2017 06:30

UPDATE
Friday, 25 August, 2017 06:30

Look at this article

Engaged in a bras de fer judiciaire, where plane the shadow of the Hells Angels, the chief of police of The Assumption is now calling for $ 50,000 to the ex-mayor of the City for having attempted to” intimidate ” and ” silence “.

Normand Desjardins alleges that Jean-Claude Gingras continues in defamation for the sole purpose of preventing repeat that the former mayor of The Assumption would be “friend” with the influential Hells Normand “Casper” Ouimet, according to a query he has just to file at the courthouse in Joliette.

Photo Melanie Colleau

Jean-Claude Gingras

Ex-mayor of the Assumption

Considering that it is he who deserves a compensation, the manager believes that the continued “abuse” of $ 85,000, brought to its place by the ex-mayor in 2016 has no “chance of success” and should be dismissed, according to court documents viewed by The Journal.

Casper, Dark Souls…

The one who leads the police service of The Assumption, for 18 years, had delivered a testimony to the explosive, on February 10, 2015, before a public board of inquiry on the municipal administration to The Assumption.

During a meeting, in November 2013, the mayor lamented that the police give too many tickets to an offence for the mufflers of motorcycles “.

“This is where the mayor told me that he knew very well Normand “Casper” Ouimet, a Hells Angel ” had testified to Normand Desjardins.

Photo archive

“Casper” Ouimet

Hells Angel

The chief had added that in 2014, the mayor has had lifts in the Cadillac of a member of a gang supporter of the Hells, the Deimos Crew. In addition, he mentioned that Mr. Gingras has had links with a relation of the Dark Souls — another of the seven clubs supporters of the Hells in Quebec — which militates against the ” police harassment “.

“Not defamatory “

In the spring of 2015, the commission blamed Mr. Gingras, the government asked the courts to oust the mayor of its functions and the City was put under guardianship.

The mayor deposed contends that the statements of the chief of police are ” false “.

“The statement of Mr. Desjardins when the Commission is in no way defamatory, and did not cause any damage to Mr. Smith’s “, retort the defendant.

His lawyers reiterate that the short reign of Mr. Gingras to the town hall was already marked by controversy. The UPAC was apprehended for a breach of trust and obstructing justice, in the summer of 2014, and the officers of The Assumption were arrested for driving while intoxicated in the same year. It has not yet been tried.

“Casper” Ouimet is serving a sentence of 12 years imprisonment for conspiracy to murder, gangsterism and money laundering.

The bikers would be welcome

The ex-mayor and former director-general of The Assumption interfered in the judicial process to cancel tickets that the police officers had been awarded to bikers.

The judge Louisa Arcand is not embarrassed to remind, last July 7, rejected a request by Jean Lacroix, the ex-mayor Jean-Claude Gingras was appointed to the executive board of the City of L’assomption in the spring of 2014.

The two men had been severely blamed by a commission of public inquiry in charge of shedding light on their municipal administration, in 2015.

A lawyer by profession, Mr. Lacroix asked the superior Court to pass it on to the taxpayers of his city bill 169 $ 172 million in legal fees that he had mounted in order to challenge the reprimand addressed to her by this commission.

“Not enough opportunities… “

At the request of the mayor, Lacroix was “aborting” the trial of several motorcycle riders who contested the ticket of the offence that the police had given them because the exhaust system of their motorcycle was deemed to be too noisy, in the summer of 2014.

How ? On the pretext of “false economic considerations,” according to the judge, the ex-DG had himself thanked the expert engaged by the litigation of the City to testify in court, and to substantiate the evidence of the prosecution against the bikers.

Worse still, when he was questioned by the commission, Lacroix has suggested that ” the offenders did not have enough chances to defend [against] a proof too strong.”

Dominique Valiquette, the predecessor of Jean Lacroix, had informed the commission on the grounds of such grenouillages.

“Mr. Gingras wanted that bikers feel welcome in The Assumption for roll shops of the main street. I found it a little appalling to hear that… “

What was said by the chief of police

“Mr. mayor, your insisting, I was told that my police service gave too many tickets to the offence, including tickets, silent for bikers. I advised that he could not embark in the police operations. “

“I was very surprised that the mayor in me says that, say, the chief of police : “I know very well a Hells Angel”. “

“He knows personally. He said that he knew Mr. “Casper” Ouimet because they have done for the game of baseball or coached baseball together. And then he told me that they had had meetings later on. “

“It may be a way to intimidate with his relationships. […] You may be intimidated by the bikers [but] I have not been intimidated by bikers. “

“I advised that he could not embark in the police operations. […] It is of political interference, pure and simple, [ … ] to meet the needs of groups of bikers. “

– The police chief Normand Desjardins, in recounting a meeting with the ex-mayor Gingras