André Dallaire

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Courtroom sketch of Dallaire by K. Bailey

Born in Longueuil Québec, André Dallaire is a Canadian who attempted to assassinate Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien in 1995.

Dallaire claimed that he heard voices that led him to break into the 24 Sussex Drive residence. At trial, Justice Paul Bélanger agreed with the diagnosis, and found Dallaire was guilty of attempted murder, but not criminally responsible.^[1]

1 Biography
2 The break-in
3 Legal events
4 Aftermath
5 References

[edit] Biography

Diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic aged sixteen years, Dallaire had quit his job at a Montreal convenience store on October 25, 1995, taking all the money out of the cash register and walking off mid-shift.^[2]

On October 30, his sister reported receiving a letter from him that had been postmarked in Ottawa.^[3]

[edit] The break-in

At 02:10UTC-5 on November 5, Dallaire arrived outside 24 Sussex Drive and spent the next twenty minutes throwing stones onto the grounds and waving at security cameras while carrying a folding knife alternatingly described as three or five inches in length.

He then climbed the fence and strode over to the house, where he smashed a glass door and entered, wandering around the basement and ground floor for 30 minutes before heading to the Chrétiens' bedroom where he was confronted by Chrétien's wife, Aline as he was pulling on his gloves^[4].

Aline hurried back into the bedroom and locked the door, rousing Chrétien who initially dismissed her story as "just a dream", while she dialed the RCMP officers stationed outside the house.

Stories diverged whether Jean or Aline Chretien brandished an Inuit stone sculpture of a loon in case Dallaire broke through the door.

Dallaire did not attempt to break down the door, and waited for the police to arrive. Controversially, it took seven minutes for the police to respond to Aline's desparate call about an intruder trying to kill the Prime Minister, in part because the first officer to respond had forgotten his key to the residence, ^[5], because the officers had decided to surround the house to prevent escape before entering it to ensure the Prime Minister's safety, and because the officer who answered the frantic telephone call first called his supervisor at the nearby Rideau Hall to ask what he should do.^[6]

[edit] Legal events

Dallaire was kept in a group home for the duration of the trial. Expert witness Dominique Bourget, a psychiatrist with the Royal Ottawa Hospital, testified that Dallaire viewed himself as a "secret agent" avenging the failed 1995 Quebec referendum.^[7], and that he believed killing the Prime Minister would cause him to "become a hero for the nation."^[8]

His travel during the trial was not restricted, so long as he was accompanied at all times by a worker from the group home. He was formally charged with attempted murder, breaking and entering, possession of a weapon and being unlawfully in a dwelling. His attorney was John Hale.

The trial also brought to light the security camera footage of Dallaire freely roaming the property, while RCMP officers should have been monitoring the cameras. Ultimately, four officers were suspended for several months, while three supervisors were re-assigned.^[9]

[edit] Aftermath

In 1998 Dallaire spoke with the media, apologising for his prior behaviour, and reassuring the Canadian public that he was now on medication that controlled his actions, and that he hoped the Chretiens were able to forgive his actions.^[10]

Also in 1998, an intoxicated man was found on the grounds of the Prime Minister's residence, raising questions about the security upgrade undertaken since Dallaire's</ref>intrusion.^[11]