A former mayor of Montreal known for his jovial character was seriously injured in a violent episode of road rage, according to a judgment which has just been made public and which condemns his attacker to three months to serve in the community.
Laurent Blanchard (interim mayor of the metropolis for four months, in 2013) suffered three facial fractures when motorist Philippe Gimonet punched him in June 2020. The event had never been made public until ‘now.
“Hey old criss. What did you do ? I’m going to kill you, my tabarnak, “said the attacker at Mr. Blanchard before hitting him, according to the decision of judge Annie Claude Chassé of the municipal court of Montreal. Mr. Blanchard – also driving – had just opened his car door, inadvertently hitting Mr. Gimonet’s car.
“I was driving on Hochelaga Street,” Mr. Blanchard recalled in a telephone interview Monday. After the first altercation, the ex-chosen moved away to call 911, but his attacker caught up with him and blocked his way. “It’s June, so I had the window rolled down. He took the opportunity to punch me and save himself. »
Among the aggravating factors for Philippe Gimonet: the extent of the injuries suffered by the 43rd mayor of Montreal, 68 years old at the time of the events. “I had a triple fractured cheek if I remember correctly, a nice black eye, I had to eat soft for a month,” Mr. Blanchard recounted. He was operated on at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. Even today, he lives with appearances of black spots in his vision and “the fear, when a car comes next” to his, that the experience will happen again.
The attacker did not recognize Laurent Blanchard.
Philippe Gimonet, a 26-year-old with a difficult past, pleaded guilty to uttering threats and assault causing bodily harm. He asked for a conditional discharge from the courts. “Any other sentence would result in the loss of employment of his client”, who works in the secure zone of Montreal-Trudeau, explained the defense.
However, Judge Chassé refused.
“A reasonable and informed person would lose faith in the credibility of the justice system if the accused were absolved of an assault that caused serious injury to a vulnerable person, a 68-year-old man, in the context of road rage, she wrote. Although occasional, the assault does not result solely from thoughtless actions on the part of the accused. He acted under the influence of anger knowingly. The seriousness of the offenses committed by Mr. Gimonet is significant. »
Me Anthony El-Haddad, the attacker’s lawyer, argued that his client was still satisfied with the decision of the municipal court.
“Mr. Gimonet wanted to admit his guilt. He wrote a letter of apology and started therapy to work on himself as soon as he was arrested,” the lawyer said in a phone interview. There will be no appeal.
Laurent Blanchard became mayor of Montreal in June 2013, after his predecessor Michael Applebaum was arrested by the Permanent Anti-Corruption Unit (UPAC). Montreal, plunged into a serious political crisis, was then in its third mayor in less than a year.
The elected official from Hochelaga-Maisonneuve had promised a “quiet transition” until the fall 2013 election, which crowned Denis Coderre. Mr. Blanchard was until then president of the executive committee and had been chosen by the city council of Montreal to take the lead.
“It’s dizzying, exhilarating and scary, but I console myself that I only have four months,” joked Laurent Blanchard, known for his deadpan humor, in taking the oath.
First elected locally in 2005, Laurent Blanchard was defeated in his district in the 2013 municipal elections.
