Roch Thériault Perpetrator

3821 Words8 Pages

Perpetrator Analysis Roch Thériault was born on May 16, 1947 to a conservative Catholic family - where his father was a member of the Pilgrims of Saint-Michael sect (Ames, 2020). The sect, also known as the White Berets, is a conservative and nationalist sect that speaks against secularization, whilst promoting an ecclesial approach to sociopolitical and familial matters (Geoffroy, 2020). In Thériault’s testimonials, he claimed that he had an abusive upbringing, often referencing violent interactions with his father - but is bright in the sense where he would often use his stories to gain pity from others (Ames, 2020; Khaila & Laver, 1993). As a child, Thériault had interest in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament and the Book of Revelations …show more content…

In 1981, Thériault would stand trial in December 1981 for the death of Samuel Giguère - a child and the castration of Guy Veer. Thériault would be charged with child neglect and criminal negligence, sentencing him to 2 years imprisonment (Khaila & Laver, 1993; Lavallée, 2002). Under Child Welfare Act, RSO, 1970, c. 96, s. 6 (4) - A child where their legal guardian failed to provide the adequate care, or failed to protect the child properly, may be taken into protective custody by the court (Child Welfare Act, 1970). Whilst Guy Veer had bear witness, testifying against Thériault describing the gruesome acts committed by Thériault onto Samuel Giguère - his testimonials may not be adequate evidence to convict Thériault of child abuse. As Samuel Giguère had been cremated, the court couldn’t find concrete evidence regarding the death of Samuel Giguère (Khaila & Laver, 1993), paired with the fact that Guy Veer was diagnosed with Major Depression Disorder - which may have hurt his credibility as a witness. Regardless of evidence, Giguère’s death was evident, and all 7 children who resided in Thériault’s commune would be sent to Child Protection Services (Khaila & Laver, 1993). It should be noted that in 1981, child abuse and neglect was a largely overlooked incident to which there were little to no laws enforcing it (Child Welfare Act, 1970; Dodd et al., 2020). It would take the justice system until 1985 to amend their laws to include criminal offenses on child neglect - citing a maximum 10 year imprisonment if a guardian was found guilty (Criminal Code, 1985). As such, the justice system did not manage to provide Thériault with the proper sentence at that point in time. The other adults - Gabrielle Lavallée, and the parents of Samuel Giguère - Jacques Giguère, and Claude Ouellette were found guilty in assisting Thériault as well - and were also charged with criminal negligence - but found a lighter sentence than Thériault as they are not the main

Open Document