The hearings of the public inquiry into the deaths of Maureen Breau and Isaac Brouillard Lessard have been held at the Trois-Rivières courthouse for more than a week. (Photo: February 19, 2024)
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The threat posed by Isaac Brouillard Lessard is at the heart of the discussions, as the second week of hearings of the coroner responsible for the light surrounding the death of police officer Maureen Breau. Were risk factors, such as the assailant's drug use, taken seriously enough?
Dr Frédéric Millaud, who came to testify on the fifth day of the investigation, followed Isaac Brouillard Lessard for more than a year during his hospitalization at the Philippe-Pinel Institute in 2019.
The psychiatrist was unequivocal: drug consumption is an element of destabilization of the mental state, which can lead to a risk of relapse.
If it causes him to become psychotic again, it causes him to become dangerous again, he decides. It is a risk factor, says the expert.
Moreover, taking drugs can represent a non-compliance with conditions for individuals under court order and lead to rehospitalization. Isaac Brouillard Lessard was not supposed to use, but he was not institutionalized again.
Louiseville tragedy: the death of Maureen Breau
Consult the complete file
Louiseville tragedy: the death of Maureen Breau
Consult the complete file
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Coroner Géhane Kamel indicated that the question of non-compliance with the conditions made her uncomfortable because she notes that levers exist, but that they are not systematically applied.
In the risk assessment, Dr. Millaud also specifies that patients can manage to contain themselves even if they are very psychotic.
The police officers who intervened a few days before the tragedy which cost the life of police officer Maureen Breau were forced to note that Isaac Brouillard Lessard did not represent a serious, real and immediate danger at the time they met him.
Upon leaving the Philippe-Pinel Institute, the psychiatrist indicated that his patient should comply with treatment and not take drugs. The investigation shows that he did not respect these instructions.
During his testimony, Dr. Millaud described a patient who arrived at the Philippe-Pinel Institute in a state of great disorganization, extremely psychotic, hostile and suspicious. The psychiatrist does not hesitate to say that the individual represented a major risk at that moment.
The situation continued for several months and required significant medication adjustments.
The stabilization of the mental state of Isaac Brouillard Lessard represented particular challenges for the care team, who even discussed them during a seminar on complex cases, specifies Dr. Millaud.
Once a month, psychiatrists get together to discuss the cases of a few patients chosen because they are particularly difficult, to improve their care, he relates.
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Isaac Brouillard Lessard stayed for more than a year at the Philippe-Pinel Institute.
This was the case of Isaac Brouillard Lessard who continued to represent a high risk, even several months after the start of his hospital detention.
The coroner was led to think about the fluidity of information between the various healthcare teams.
She specifies that the Pinel Institute is the ultimate in the field, but that Isaac Brouillard Lessard has changed care teams extensively and even regions over the years. Géhame Kamel spoke about variable geometry tracking.
Maureen Breau lost her life on March 27, 2023 in Louiseville. We probably could have avoided this situation, the coroner commented to Dr Millaud. At this, Maureen Breau's father, sitting very close to the witness, nods.
Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116
