A robber who robbed no less than 19 banks and businesses in Greater Montreal got away with 17 years in prison, less than the minimum sentence and far from the 26 years demanded by the Crown.
“It would have been an excessive exaggeration,” judge Anne-Marie Lanctôt ruled in sentencing Jeffrey Marshall Ménard on Monday at the Montreal courthouse.
Ménard, 40, had however sown terror among his victims in the fall of 2017. He particularly targeted banking institutions, but also grocery stores and restaurant-bars.
Masked or hooded, he stormed into the targeted business with a fake weapon, threatened the occupants and emptied the boxes. In less than two minutes, he came out with his pockets full.
“The witnesses heard have, for the most part, had a firearm pointed in their direction,” recalled the judge during the verdict.
In all, he made about thirty victims in Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, Candiac and Berthierville, and this, in less than two months. An extensive investigation had been carried out and Ménard had been arrested, when he seemed to be preparing to commit another robbery.
Exaggerated sentence
Found guilty of 19 counts of robbery, of having used a fake weapon during the robberies, but also of illegal possession of a firearm, Ménard hoped however for leniency from the court.
Because due to an article of the Criminal Code concerning the accumulation of sentences, he should have received at least 19 years in prison, or one year for each time he used a fake weapon.
The Crown prosecutor, Me Alexis Dinelle, however, demanded an almost record sentence of 26 years in prison, given the seriousness of the crimes.
“The escalation of sentences cannot prevent rehabilitation,” however, reminded the magistrate, emphasizing that in Canada, the population is protected by the Charter against cruel and unusual punishment.
However, in this case, even by imposing the minimum, the sentence would have been far too high, said the judge. Especially since Ménard would have used a fake firearm.
“The fear felt by the victims is the same [que s’il s’était agi d’une vraie arme], but the harm Ménard wanted to cause is not the same as someone using a real weapon. »
The judge therefore accepted the arguments of Mr. Simon Leduc and Mr. Gabriel Bérubé–Bouchard by declaring the cumulative sentences for his crimes inoperative.
Given the preventive detention, Ménard has 10 and a half years left to serve.
If the Crown or the Attorney General of Quebec wish to challenge the decision, they have 30 days to appeal the case.