Maureen Breau's father testifies to pressure | Louiseville tragedy: the death of Maureen Breau

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Maureen Breau's father, Michel, testified Wednesday.

• Francis Beaudry (View profile)Francis Beaudry

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During his testimony, Michel Breau claimed that a former police officer would have tried to encourage him not to request a public inquiry into the death of his daughter while he was seeking answers to the tragedy that took place. x27;had struck.

In extremely emotional testimony during the 17th day of the coroner's public inquiry, Mr. Breau recounted that the morning after the tragedy, March 28, 2023, he went to the scene where his daughter had been attacked to try to get answers to her questions.

I have to go to Louiseville, I want to know what happened, he told coroner Géhane Kamel on Wednesday after recounting a night spent without being able to sleep rehashing the events of the day before.

Once in Louiseville, he explained that he revealed his identity to a communications manager from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), who ended a question-and-answer session with journalists for the 'escort to the Louiseville police station.

On reaching the station, he remembers seeing the three police officers who were with Maureen Breau during the intervention sitting at a table together and they came to offer their condolences.

Louiseville tragedy: the death of Maureen Breau

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Louiseville tragedy: the death of Maureen Breau

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He said he saw a former SQ police officer, who has close family ties to members of the Louiseville police station, talking to them before he interrupted their conversation upon his arrival.

Michel Breau knew him and said he was surprised to see him there at that precise moment.

He claimed that he spoke to him and that he introduced himself as a private investigator. Mr. Breau told the coroner that at that time, he suspected that this former police officer was scheming with the police.

Over the next few months, Mr. Breau said he received three calls from the man, calls he described as long and difficult to conclude. He claimed that during these calls, the individual attempted several times to convince him not to request a public inquiry into his daughter's death.

Once, I was able to get out of the second call with him because people knocked on my door and it was two police officers from Trois-Rivières who knew Maureen and wanted to talk to me, a indicated Mr. Breau.

During his quest for answers to his questions, Michel Breau said he came up against a lack of psychological support from the SQ.

He claims that the police service did not offer him psychological support.

The SQ offered at one point to find someone to help him psychologically and that the police department would reimburse him.

He remembers going to two meetings with workers that a relative had found but that these meetings were not fruitful.

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Michel Breau crossed the ribbons which framed the scene of the drama to try to obtain answers to his questions. (File photo)

Mr. Breau said he always wanted to know what happened but, unfortunately, police couldn't tell him more the morning after the tragedy.

He lamented that he had ignored what happened to his daughter until the start of the public inquiry.

Work of the coroner and the speakers during the hearings will, according to him, have helped to dispel several of the questions he had. He wanted to thank Ms. Kamel for helping him with this.

I know everything that happened today. That puts an end to my questions, I met the right person to inform me, he said.

Moved, the coroner joined him, indicating to the people present in the courtroom that she was preparing to ignore the protocol. I'm going to take the liberty of taking you in my arms, she said to the suffering father who stood in front of her. Then, she left the room adjourning.

At the time of writing these lines, the Sûreté du Québec had not responded to our interview request.

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