This article written in french by Geneviève Quessy was automatically translated using AI
Andrée-Anne Sauriol, who was arrested in March 2023 alongside her accomplices Marc-André Watier and Nicolas Girard, has been sentenced to four years in prison by the Laval courthouse. She was found guilty of breaking into a motel in Pont-Viau and threatening the occupants with a firearm and a can of pepper spray.
While the defense sought a community-based sentence, the prosecution recommended a five-year prison term for the 30-year-old Andrée-Anne Sauriol. Judge Maria Albanese ultimately ruled in favor of a four-year custodial sentence.
“The proliferation of firearm-related crimes in the Laval district justifies emphasizing the objectives of denunciation and general deterrence in this case,” the judge stated. “The act of possessing weapons reflects highly dangerous behavior.”
The judge added that the accused’s intoxicated state, along with their possession of a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine, posed a significant danger to the public.
The three accomplices admitted to kicking down the motel door, spraying their victims with pepper spray, and threatening them with a firearm before fleeing by car. When police intercepted their vehicle, the weapon was found at Andrée-Anne Sauriol’s feet, hidden in her coat.
A few weeks before the incident, Sauriol had posted photos of herself holding the firearm on social media. During the trial, she explained this act as an attempt to impress a man who had allegedly assaulted her in the past. She also claimed that her involvement with people who owned weapons was part of an effort to track him down and seek revenge.
“No one can take justice into their own hands,” Judge Albanese reminded the court, adding that the risk of reoffending remained present.
Sauriol left the courtroom in tears as she was taken into custody.
As for her co-accused, Marc-André Watier, he was sentenced to 46 months in prison on July 3.
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