National Post (National Edition)
Mosque killer disturbed, remorseful, defence says
Seeking parole eligibility at 25 years
QUEBEC • Alexandre Bissonnette was not motivated by a racist ideology. He is mentally disturbed but can be rehabilitated. And he deeply regrets the Quebec City mosque massacre.
Defence lawyer CharlesOlivier Gosselin painted that portrait on Monday as he argued that Bissonnette should have to serve 25 years in prison before he’s eligible for parole. Under that scenario, Bissonnette, 28, would be 53 when he could apply for parole.
Gosselin was speaking at the beginning of the fourth and final week of the sentencing hearing for Bissonnette, who has pleaded guilty to six first-degree murder charges.
The maximum sentence Bissonnette could face is life in prison without the possibility of parole for 150 years — the longest sentence since Canada abolished the death penalty.
Bissonnette’s legal team contends that consecutive sentences that result in a prisoner dying in prison before being eligible for parole are unconstitutional and “unduly long and harsh.”
“No punishment will bring back the people who died or were injured for life by Mr. Bissonnette’s actions,” Gosselin told Quebec Superior Court Justice François Huot.
A prison sentence should not be about vengeance, but rather about dissuasion, protecting the public, and rehabilitation, he said. Gosselin said Bissonnette’s mental health issues — anxiety, depression and narcissistic personality disorder — are extenuating circumstances.
He noted experts have suggested that with the right treatment, Bissonnette could be rehabilitated.
“Hope must be taken into account when you’re looking at someone who could be rehabilitated,” Gosselin said, noting Bissonnette is not a psychopath.
The Criminal Code was changed in 2011 to allow for consecutive sentences in multiple-murder cases, as opposed to concurrent sentences.
Gosselin said the Criminal Code was changed to deal with cases such as serial killers Clifford Olson and Robert Pickton, who did not express remorse or show signs of rehabilitation.
Bissonnette does not fit that mould, his lawyer said.
Gosselin said extreme bullying that Bissonnette suffered in high school and the killer’s excessive consumption of alcohol contributed to the mosque shooting.
But he said neither racism nor a particular ideology motivated the attack.
Evidence from Bissonnette’s computer showed he was fascinated with antiimmigrant alt-right and conservative commentators and worried about an influx of Muslim immigrants in Quebec.
However, Bissonnette has never mentioned an ideology, apart from saying he supported United States President Donald Trump’s ban on allowing citizens of some Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S., Gosselin said.
HOPE MUST BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT.
He said Bissonnette did indeed have racial prejudices but his bigotry did not lead to the attack. Instead, he used his animosity to rationalize his long-held desire to murder people, Gosselin said.
Bissonnette has not used the trial as a bully pulpit to promote any ideology, Gosselin added. “Instead, he has spent much of the sentencing hearing with his eyes on the ground,” showing remorse, he said.
Gosselin said Bissonnette is ashamed of what he did, noting the killer read a statement to victims in court in which he expressed regret.
Bissonnette has shown emotion in court — he cried several times, including when the prosecution read out part of the coroner’s report for Azzeddine Soufiane, who was repeatedly shot as he tried to stop the gunman, Gosselin said.
Under sentencing guidelines, the fact that children were present during the shooting could be an aggravating factor.
In April, a man who was in the mosque during the shooting testified that Bissonnette shot in the direction of children.
But Gosselin said ballistics evidence indicates Bissonnette did not actually aim at children. The bullet holes found in the area where children were cowering were caused by ricochets, the lawyer said.
And he said Bissonnette did not expect to hurt children. As evidence, Gosselin noted that when Bissonnette called 911 minutes after the attack and spoke to a police interrogator the next day, he was worried that children had been injured.
The prosecution is scheduled to present its final sentencing arguments on Tuesday. Huot is expected to hand down his sentence in September.