Women's group calls for reform after Mont-St-Hilaire murder

After the murder of an 18-year-old woman who had sought help from police when she feared her ex-boyfriend would turn violent, a Quebec women’s group has called on the government to adopt a uniform protocol for cases of spousal violence.

Daphne Huard-Boudreault was found dead in her Mont-St-Hilaire residence on Wednesday, the same day she had met with police officers to ask for help with ex-boyfriend Anthony Pratte-Lops.

Huard-Boudreault was turned away, with officers allegedly telling her that Pratte-Lops would soon calm down.

Pratte-Lops has been has been charged with premeditated murder.

The Coalition of Women’s Shelters for Victims of Conjugal Violence said the government must take action to ensure that as soon as a complaint of spousal violence is made, police refer the victim to specialized caregivers.

The group’s chairperson, Sylvie Langlais, said that with such a system, victims would be put in contact with experts who deal with such situations on a daily basis. She said that police officers can’t understand the intricacies of conjugal violence.