Offender suffered abuse in past, lawyer tells court
A man with a history of physical and sexual violence should not be declared a dangerous offender since there is a “reasonable possibility ” his risk to the community can eventually be controlled, court heard Monday.
The lengthy criminal record of Lance David Blanchard, 60, is at least partly the product of incarceration and abuse he suffered from authorities starting at the age of eight, defence lawyer Tom Engel wrote in his submission.
Yet it is not a forgone conclusion Blanchard will continue to reoffend, especially if he is provided the proper supports he has been denied for decades, Engel said.
Blanchard is being sentenced for aggravated sexual assault, aggravated assault, kidnapping, unlawful confinement, possession of a weapon and making a death threat in a 2014 attack against a woman.
The Crown is seeking to have him declared a dangerous offender, which would make him eligible to receive an indeterminate sentence. Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Eric Macklin is expected to make a decision by week’s end.
Blanchard’s record dates to 1975, when he received three years for raping a mentally challenged girl.
That was followed by separate attacks on a 13-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy in 1978, and an incident in 1983 in which he beat an inmate to death with a metal bar while incarcerated in Quebec.
Crown Chantelle Washenfelder argued Blanchard has shown no remorse for his crimes and no indication he will accept therapy.
“To suggest he is now going to be co-operative with people who he says ruined his life … is incredible,” she told Macklin.