An ultra-violent pimp who put a vulnerable young woman through hell for two years was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday. To maintain absolute control over his victim, Antonio Dujorn Casanova did not hesitate to subject her to despicable sexual assaults and put a gun in her face.
Posted at 6:00 a.m.
The 31-year-old Montrealer, convicted in December 2020 of fifteen counts, including human trafficking, was also declared a long-term offender by Judge Lori Renée Weitzman. He will thus be subject to surveillance for seven years after his release.
The ordeal experienced by Valérie* is similar to a form of modern slavery. Isolated and enslaved, the Montrealer was downright “conditioned” to believe that she was the “object” of her executioner. Antonio Dujorn Casanova thus controlled all aspects of his victim’s life.
It was in May 2017 that Valérie met the accused, during a stay in Toronto. She is only 19 years old. A cocaiman, Valérie begins to prostitute herself for the accused in the suburbs of Toronto with her friend Jessica. Very quickly, Antonio Dujorn Casanova resorted to violence to establish his authority.
One day, while Jessica is “acting” on him, the pimp puts his gun to his temple in front of Valérie. “I could shoot you, bitch. Shut up ! he spits.
For months, Valérie prostitutes herself day after day and gives all her earnings to her pimp, whom she calls “daddy”. His submission is total. For example, when she returns from stays in Montreal to prostitute herself, the young woman must submit to “inspections” of her genitals before being allowed to take a shower.
“I can kill you”
Episodes of violence are on the rise. In March 2018, Antonio Dujorn Casanova takes out his gun, loads it and points it at the young woman in broad daylight on Notre-Dame Street in Montreal. “If you try to trap me, really, I can kill you,” he threatens, punching her in the face.
On another occasion, the pimp, mad with rage in a hotel room, beats Valérie and threatens her with death. He presses the barrel of his pistol so hard against the young woman’s forehead that blood runs down her face. “Look what you made me do,” he said.
During a “particularly violent” event, according to the judge, Antonio Dujorn Casanova hit Valérie with a belt when he discovered that she was texting another man. He then strangles the young woman, to the point that she thinks she is dying, then sexually assaults her to make her “feel better”. “Particularly aggravating” circumstances in the eyes of the judge.
Valérie finally thought of freeing herself from her executioner by denouncing him to Ontario police, but her complaint remained a dead letter for bureaucratic reasons. His nightmare therefore only ended nine months later in dramatic circumstances.
Mad with rage on learning that Valérie had a car accident in Montreal, Antonio Dujorn Casanova threatens to stab her and her father. “I’m going to be happy because I’m going to stab you,” he said. He will finally be arrested in extremis in front of her home. “Is this how you show me your love?” he shouts at her.
Despite everything, Antonio Dujorn Casanova denies being a violent person and accuses the victim of having invented everything. He claims to have been treated unfairly by the Quebec judicial system, because he is black and English-speaking, indicates an evaluation report.
A high risk of recurrence
According to a psychologist, the accused displays antisocial personality traits and presents a “significant” risk of recidivism because of his “impulsive and asocial” behaviors. Moreover, the accused accumulated no less than 26 reprimands in prison, some for possession of a homemade weapon.
He is currently serving an 18 month sentence for possession of a prohibited firearm with ammunition. This is the same gun used against the victim.
The Crown prosecutor, Mr.e Alexandre Gautier, claimed ten and a half years of detention, while Me Alexie Galarneau, of the defense, asked for five years in prison.
Although the sentence imposed is ten years, the sentence remains six years and four months, taking into account the preventive detention (a sentence credit of 1.5 days per day of preventive detention is granted).
* Fictitious name to protect the identity of the victim