Judge Serge Laurin granted a conditional discharge to Joshua Schoo on July 27 in the Criminal and Criminal Division of the Court of Quebec. Schoo had admitted to being violent during an argument in March 2021 with his then-wife of 17 years, the mother of their four children. He pleaded guilty to three charges related to domestic violence, including strangulation and threatening her. Their children witnessed the attack, according to the ruling, with one of them calling police saying Schoo was hitting their mother and was drunk. In her victim impact statement, the woman told the court she has recurring flashbacks and distressing dreams about the event and is worried about her children. “I fear more for my children’s emotional safety. After seeing these traumatic things, I wonder how the outcome will affect their own choices, relationships and responses,” her statement to the court said. “Our children look to us as parents for safety, love and security and it has failed them.” The judge acknowledged that assaulting a partner and the presence of their children were aggravating factors, but also said there were mitigating factors in his sentencing decision. He noted that there had been no previous incidents of domestic violence during their marriage, no physical violence in previous conflicts, and called the matter before the court an “isolated incident” during a 17-year marriage. Judge Laurin noted that Schoo has entered treatment, stopped drinking and has expressed genuine remorse. The judge explained his decision not to impose the six-month sentence the Crown had sought because jail time could result in Schoo losing his maintenance job with the city of Ottawa. The city said it does not comment on individual personnel matters. The judge’s ruling also said the criminal record would prevent Schoo from visiting his sister in the United States, where he enjoyed traveling with his children, and could prevent him from volunteering at his church.
Sensitivity training needed for judges, advocate says
Lise Martin, executive director of Women’s Shelters Canada, said the judge’s decision shows the urgent need to train not only newly appointed judges, but also sitting judges. “It’s sensitivity training, it’s violence against women training, it’s training to better understand power and control. These are the factors behind violence against women,” Martin said. “It’s not just a random act.” Martin calls the decision a “slap in the face” that fails to address domestic violence as a social issue rather than just a personal issue contained within a family. Marie-Christine Villeneuve, spokeswoman for the Quebec Network of Crime Victim Assistance Centres, also expressed surprise at the sentence. “It seems to run counter to what we’ve seen a lot more in recent years, where we tend to make decisions that emphasize reporting and deterrence, particularly around domestic violence,” Villeneuve said. “We hope this sentence does not discourage victims from coming forward.” The judge imposed two years of supervised and one year of unsupervised probation where Schoo cannot contact or approach his ex-partner. He must continue to undergo treatment, complete 250 hours of community service, donate $5,000 to a community organization focused on counseling for men. Schoo’s attorney declined to comment. In a statement, a Crown spokesman declined to be interviewed, saying they were considering an appeal. They announced later in the day on social media that an appeal had been filed and the woman had been notified.
