The man accused of strangling a policewoman during protests against health measures the day before Canada Day in Ottawa is a Sherbrooke resident who has already been pinned for insulting a municipal elected official and obstructing a police officer.

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Four counts weigh against Charle Laurendeau, 29, the most serious being of having attempted to attack the policewoman in question. The other three counts are linked to the attack on the latter as well as the disruption of her work and the peace.

Mr. Laurendeau was still detained on Thursday, the judge of the Criminal Court of Ontario having refused to release him twice, on July 1 and 5. He is due to appear on July 14.

The incident took place on June 30, the eve of Canada Day, on the site of the National War Memorial, near Parliament.

Images of the incident available on social networks show a major commotion between demonstrators and police which ended with several very strong arrests on the site of the Monument.

Two other men were arrested and detained at the same time, Andreas Alexopoulos, a 25-year-old Montrealer, and Calvin Tortolo, a 30-year-old Torontonian.

Despite charges of assaulting a police officer, they were both released on July 1 after posting bail of $5,000 each.

This is not Mr. Laurendeau's first blunder. In November 2020, he was sentenced to pay a $296 fine for obstructing a police officer in Sherbrooke. Then, in April 2021, he was fined for having “insulted an elected official or a civil servant”, still in Sherbrooke.

A relative who did not want to be identified explained that the accused lived with mental health problems and a mild form of autism. He would refuse any form of help either from the public system or from his family.

The name entered in the plumitif of Quebec is Charle Laurendeau. However, the accused used the name Charle Philippe Beaulieu during his representations to the Ottawa criminal court since he has two first names and two surnames.

Unlike the episode of the “freedom convoy” that occurred last January and February in the federal capital, the Ottawa Police Service awaited the demonstrators firmly. The police presence was omnipresent throughout the weekend.

-With the collaboration of Nicolas Brasseur, Bureau of Investigation