LAVAL -- Robert Gaudette, the convicted murderer who escaped from the Montee St. Francois prison in Laval last week, has been charged in connection with his five days on the lam.
Gaudette, 55, escaped from the institution July 28 by jumping out a window. He was found the evening of Aug. 3 walking on Grande Allee Blvd. in Quebec City.
He did not resist arrest.
Gaudette appeared in a Laval court Wednesday where he faced charges of escaping from lawful custody and forcibly breaking out of a cell. He did not enter a plea and is set to return to court on Aug. 14.
If convicted he could be sentenced to another 10 years in prison. Corrections Canada will determine if he will be eligible to spend any more time a minimum-security facility.
Gaudette was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder after killing his wife 14 years ago. After 12 years behind bars, he was eligible for parole later this year.
Police allege Claude Hamelin, 59, of Rigaud housed Gaudette while he was at large. He was charged with being an accessory after the fact Friday.
This is the third time in just over a year that a convicted murderer has escaped Montee St. Francois minimum security prison.
The prison guards' union says it's a problem
“A minimum security prison doesn't have a lot of devices to stop inmates. Any time he's tired of being there, he can get up and walk away,” said Kevin Grabowsky, national president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers.
Under the current corrections system, murderers can start off in maximum security and over time, move to a minimum security facility.
“That would probably be the most shocking to Canadians, is to find out how many life-sentence inmates are actually situated in minimum security penitentiaries,” said Grabowsky.
