Forest fires in Chibougamau: 14 charges for Brian Paré

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The Chibougamau forest fire.

Radio-Canada

Brian Paré, 38, pleaded guilty to 14 charges Monday at the palace of justice of Chibougamau. He admitted to having started several forest fires last summer near the municipality and in Chapais.

A pre-sentence report must be carried out to assess the psychological state and dangerousness of the accused.

In fact, I have to say that the evidence was quite overwhelming. The suspect, as soon as he was arrested and a few weeks later, made a confession to Sûreté du Québec investigators. The investigation that was carried out is also quite voluminous. We are talking about GPS beacons. It was used to trace the suspect's comings and goings and to formally identify him as the accused, summarized the Crown prosecutor, Me Marianne Girard.

Approximately 900 hectares of forest were burned due to these criminal acts.

The investigation was opened after five fires broke out in two days, May 31 and June 1, 2023. SQ police officers suspected that the fires were not of natural origin.

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This unique case could set a precedent. The prosecution's lawyer indicated that no such case has been found in the judicial archives in Quebec.

I don't know if Mr. Paré is aware of all the consequences and all the harm he has caused. It will be worth seeing. Perhaps at that time we will come to a common suggestion following the report. On the other hand, it is possible that this is not the case and if this is not the case, we will be ready to plead, argued the second Crown lawyer in the case, Me Marie-Philippe Charron.

The report will be submitted no later than April 22.

D'according to the report by Laurie Gobeil

< p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">Brian Paré waives his release and plans to plead guilty