Yvon Doiron
Priest, Diocese of Bathurst New Brunswick. Ordained 1981. Listed in one directory as Yves Doiron and in another as Yvon Doiron. 2011 facing theft-related charges including stealing more than $100,000 between 1997 and 2006 when he served in Dalhousie, New Brunswick. Lawsuit four years earlier re $110,000 he borrowed from a Dalhouse woman in 1998 and did not pay back (case has been settled – outcome unknown). October 2012: GUILTY plea to four counts of fraud totaling more than $116,000. 28 May 2012: sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to refund $48,000.
Next court date: 28 May 2012: 1:30 pm, to hear testimony of the probation officer who compiled the pre-sentence report, Campbellton New Brunswick courthouse; 09 March 2012: 09:30 am, to set a date to put probation officer who compiled the pre-sentence report on the stand, Campbellton New Brunswick courthouse; 05 March 2012: sentencing hearing, 1:30 pm, Campbellton courthouse, Campbellton, New Brunswick; 30 January 2012: ADJOURNED sentencing hearing, 1:30 pm, Campbellton courthouse, Campbellton, New Brunswick; 25 October 2011: for trial. 09:30 am Campbellton courthouse, Campbellton, New Brunswick; 16 May 2011, Campbellton, New Brunswick
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28 May 2012: Priest gets 18 months for fraud on his parishes
28 May 2012: “18 months in prison for the former pastor Doiron” (google translate of French)
06 March 2012: Sentencing postponed for Yvon Doiron
27 October 2011: Priest pleads guilty to parish fraud
26 October 2011: Priest guilty of fraud
25 October 2011: Justice: Un prêtre fraudeur reconnaît ses torts (use the Translate tab to translate into English)
01 March 2011: Former Priest Faces Charges
23 February 2007: Une paroissienne poursuit son curé (use the Translate tab to translate into English)
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The following infromation is drawn from Canadian Catholic Church Directories (CCCD) of the same date and which I have on hand, and media (M)
2011: address on Claremont, Avenue Westmount, QC
25 October 2011: GUILTY plea – admits to theft of approximately $115,000 from four parish in which he served from 1997 to 2006 (M)
2010: 559, ch Principale, Petit Paquetville, NB E8R 1G7 (506-764-2044)
1997-2009: Pastor, Martyre de Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Dalhousie, NB (M)
2009: Bernice Lavoie lawsuit settled out of court (M)
2007: Doiron owed Bernice Lavoie over $110,000. She sues Doiron and the Diocese of Bathurst (M)
2006: forced to resign because of financial irregularities (M)
police investigation launched (M)
2004: bank loan of $24,000 in Bernice Lavoie’s name? (M)(the article is in French – is this the correct translation from google?)
2002: Pastor, Martyre de Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Dalhousie, NB
1999, 1998, 1997: Pastor, Martyre de Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Dalhousie, NB
1998: Began to borrow money from Beatrice Lavoie of Dalhousie. The ‘borrowing’ continued for 8 years without payback.
Fraud convictions relate to the years 1997 to 2003. According to media the parishes involved were those at Dalhousie, Charlo, Eel River Crossing and Dundee. One blogger noted that as Pastor at Saint John the Baptist in Dalhousie Doiron was responsible for all four parishes.
1996: address RR #1, Site 21, Bte 4, Paquetteville, NB 506-764-2044 (this doesn’t seem to be the address of the church and it is NOT the church phone number. I don’t know what the address is)
1995, 1994, 1993,1992,1991, 1985-85: Pastor at Canadian Martyrs. Pont Landry. New Brunswick.
1981: ORDAINED
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Priest in court May 16
Campbellton Tribune
06 May 2011
A former Dalhousie area priest facing fraud charges will appear in court in less than two weeks.
Yvon Doiron faces numerous charges dating back to when he was in charge of a Dalhousie parish more than 25 years ago.
A lawyer acting on behalf of his lawyer, Charles LeBlanc, told Judge Pierre Dube in Campbellton court May 2 that he needed an adjournment to get full disclosure.
Dube set the next appearance date for May 16 at which time LeBlanc is expected to be present.
Provincial Court in Campbellton indicates he is scheduled for trial on the 25th October 2011. Delays are to be expected…
JG
Trial starts at 09:30 am tomorrow morning (25 October 2011). At this time court is booked for only one day. There is talk of a possible guilty plea. We shall see….
…I was a bit late for the opening of Court but got the following: accused not present and his lawyer, Charles Leblanc(?), entered guilty pleas on his behalf before Judge S. Hutchinson. Sentencing set for 30th January 2012 at 13:30hr.
Defense asked to have copies of victim impact statement one week prior after the Judge asked for pre-sentence , also one week prior…To make sure it was concluded on that date, without further delays…
Thanks JG. So glad you were able to get there and give us the news. I have updated the legal calendar.
I wonder who the victims are?
Was he lifting money from the collection plate? or, was he stealing from individual parishioners? or, was it both? Were you able to get any sense of that JG?
Sorry, missed the opening. Two elderly ladies present in court , accompanied by lawyer/accountant ??… On the news this evening only three parishes were mentioned with a 116 thousand dollar(+ -) fraud…
Will follow-up in January.
JG
I have just posted some media coverage of yesterday’s guilty plea.
26 October 2011: Priest guilty of fraud
There were four parishes: Dalhousie, Charlo, Eel River Crossing and Dundee. He must have been merrily dipping from parish to parish to parish?!
Glad to hear you will be able to follow up in January JG.
He was Pastor in Dalhousie but responsible for all four parishes mentioned in the articles as is common the Diocese of Bathurst. I still don’t understand how he could get away with it. Didn’t these parishes have Finance Councils as required by Canon Law? Our finance council sees every penny that’s spent in the parish and there would have to be some fancy singing and dancing for a priest to walk away with $250 unexplained, let alone $25K.
S. Mealey, I think every parish has a finance committee but unfortunately many are dysfunctional and exist in name only. I know of some where there were committee members but no committee meetings. I know of others where the chair of the committee was routinely replaced when too many questions were asked of the parish priest. Also, in some instances there are teams who rotate counting the Sunday collection, but they do the count and leave the deposit to the parish priest.
The address in Petit- Paquetville in 2010 is probably a relative since he’s originally from the village of Paquetville (pop ~650) and Petit-Paquetville is a hamlet of that village. It’s the same phone number in 1996 as in 2010 so the address in 1996 is a postal one and the one in 2010 is the civic address.
Is he still listed as pastor of Pont Landry in the year his address was Paquetville? The two villages are only 25 Km apart. Is he listed as Pastor anywhere that year? Was he on sabbatical? Was he on sick leave? Had his faculties been suspended for some reason?
Thanks for the clarification S. Mealey. I would never know that Petit Paquetville is a hamlet of Paquetville, or, without looking at a map, that Paquetville is only about 25 km from Pont Landry.
No, he is not listed as pastor anywhere in 2010. He could have been assisting somewhere – unless the Church is given as an address it is impossible to know from the directories.
According to the latest media coverage a police investigation began in 2006. Then a lawsuit was settled out of court in 2009. I don’t know when the charges were initially laid, but, if it was on the heels of the settlement then it would make sense that he was taken out of circulation.
Does anyone know when Doiron was charged? If I don’t hear I will try to find out next week.
I was thinking more of the missing year between Pont-Landry (’91-’95) and Dalhousie (’97 – ’09) when he was living in Paquetville. I would have expected to see his faculties lifted as soon as the diocese realized something was fishy with the bookkeeping.
The French newspaper “L’Acadie nouvelle” gives specific amounts and says that he moved funds from one parish to another to conceal what he was doing.
http://www.capacadie.com/actualites-regionales/2011/10/25/cure-coupable-
de-fraude?quicktabs_17=2
The French arm of the CBC, in their article, says that he was forced to resign as Pastor from Dalhousie in 2006 due to “administrative irregularities” and the history of Eel River shows that he was replaced that year by another Pastor.
The story of the parishioner he defrauded is at this site, in French.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/atlantique/2007/02/23/008-NB-diocese.shtml
Yes, I see what you’re looking at S. Mealey. Did he ever teach, or serve as a chaplain somewhere? sometimes there is a home address listed when they are serving somewhere other than a parish.
Or, he could have been in some kind of trouble for something? Did anyone hear of anything untoward happening in Pont Landry?
I can’t get the CBC article S. Can you or someone find it somewhere and cut and paste it here? It sounds as though there is some good information in it – it would be nice to have it on the site.
This is the article, from Radio-Canada Acadie, February 23, 2007, about the defrauded parishioner.
Une paroissienne poursuit son curé
Béatrice Lavoie, une dame de Dalhousie, intente une poursuite en dommage et intérêt contre le père Yvon Doiron et le diocèse de Bathurst, au Nouveau-Brunswick. Elle accuse le père Doiron d’avoir utilisé son autorité pour lui soutirer de l’argent.
Béatrice Lavoie affirme que sa vie a basculé en novembre 1998. Elle allègue que pendant les huit années suivantes, le curé de la paroisse Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Dalhousie, le père Yvon Doiron, a profité de sa dévotion pour obtenir cet argent.
« Les téléphones ont commencé et il est venu ici. Il avait besoin d’aide. Il m’a demandé. Il a dit: ” J’aurais besoin d’aide financièrement ” », indique Mme Lavoie.
Selon la poursuite déposée contre le père Doiron et son employeur, le diocèse de Bathurst, le curé aurait obtenu plus de 110 000 $ de Mme Lavoie. « Je n’ai aucune idée de ce qu’il faisait avec ça », dit-elle.
Toujours selon la poursuite, Béatrice Lavoie aurait accepté naïvement, sous l’autorité du père Doiron, de lui avancer des sommes d’argent à plusieurs reprises.
Béatrice Lavoie a toujours maintenu des liens très étroits avec l’Église. Cette ancienne religieuse et retraitée d’un poste de secrétaire à l’hôpital local, affirme qu’elle ne pouvait lui dire non. « On a été élevé… Le prêtre, c’était presque sacré pour nous autres », dit-elle.
« Je ne suis pas coupable de ça, mais on dirait que je me sens coupable pareil. Il y en a qui disent: ” Mais, tu aurais dû arrêter avant “. Bien oui, mais moi, je me fiais qu’il allait me rembourser et que ça finirait là », ajoute Mme Lavoie.
Selon Mme Lavoie, le père Doiron lui aurait même demandé de contracter un prêt bancaire en son nom. « Ça, c’était en 2004. Un prêt de 23 000 $. Comme de fait, je ne pouvais pas lui refuser », affirme-t-elle.
Selon René Arseneault, l’avocat de la plaignante, cette affaire a coûté cher à Mme Lavoie. « Tout son fonds de pension, toutes ses économies de toute sa vie, qui lui aurait permis de prendre une petite retraite dorée », dit-il.
Selon Me Arseneault, Béatrice Lavoie n’est pas la seule paroissienne ayant été flouée. « Quand Mme Lavoie a accepté de faire cette entrevue, c’est en espérant que son exemple donnerait courage aux autres victimes », précise-t-il.
Dans la poursuite, Béatrice Lavoie allègue aussi qu’elle a subi des dommages psychologiques. Cependant, elle n’a pas perdu sa foi. « Parce que je me dis, là, j’ai besoin de l’Église plus que jamais », dit-elle.
Le diocèse réagit
Le père Yvon Doiron refuse d’émettre des commentaires. Le diocèse de Bathurst, par contre, a répondu par écrit à Radio-Canada. Le diocèse indique qu’il a l’intention de déposer bientôt une défense appropriée contre les allégations.
La lettre précise aussi que « dû à la nature sensible des allégations et en respect envers tous les individus impliqués, le Diocèse de Bathurst ne veut pas effectuer davantage de commentaires publics concernant cette affaire ».
Le règlement de cette affaire risque de s’étaler sur une longue période.
From the Radio-Canada website
Justice: Un prêtre fraudeur reconnaît ses torts
2011-10-25 12:32:38
(Source: Radio-Canada) Yvon Doiron, un ancien curé du Nouveau-Brunswick, reconnaît qu’il a dérobé quelque 115 000 $ de quatre paroisses de région de Restigouche, qu’il desservait de 1997 à 2006
Yvon Doiron, un ancien curé du Nouveau-Brunswick, reconnaît qu’il a dérobé quelque 115 000 $ à quatre paroisses de la région de Restigouche qu’il a desservies de 1997 à 2006.
M. Doiron a reconnu sa culpabilité à quatre chefs d’accusation de fraude, mardi. Il était représenté en cour par son avocat, Me Charles LeBlanc.
Les paroisses où il a commis ces fraudes sont situées dans les collectivités de Dalhousie, Charlo, Eel River Crossing et Dundee. Le montant des fraudes varie entre 25 000 $ et 39 000 $ selon l’endroit.
Yvon Doiron recevra sa peine le 30 janvier prochain.
L’ancien curé avait été forcé de démissionner en 2006 en raison d’irrégularités administratives.
Une paroissienne avait poursuivi au civil le père Doiron et le diocèse de Bathurst, en 2007. Le montant de la réclamation s’élevait à 110 000 $. Cette affaire avait été réglée à l’amiable.
Radio-Canada.ca
Many thanks for those articles S. Mealey. I now have them posted on Yvon Doiron page above.
Two questions:
(1) According to the google translation of the 2007 article Bernice Lavoie said that there were other parishioners from whom Doiron borrowed and did not replay. Is that correct? If yes, does anyone know how many other parishioners Doiron borrowed from and how much?
If there were others is it possible that the diocese settled with those persons as well?
(2) What happened in 2004? Did Bernice Lavoie take out a $24,000 bank loan and give the monies to Doiron?
He was a priest, she a former religious sister, she was devout, he needed her so, yes, she took out a loan to help him out when he asked her. In her words, “I couldn’t refuse. We were raised … The priest was almost sacred for us.”
According to her lawyer she wasn’t the only person that he defrauded like this and she consented to speak to the media in the hope that others would feel free to step forward, but I have never heard of anyone else doing so.
Did the diocese settle with them? I haven’t heard anything but then these settlements usually include an agreement of confidentiallity.
I really feel for her. I know how she was raised. In our family and in many others I knew priests were not discussed, period. The motto “You do not speak well of a priest in fear of speaking ill of him.”
I wonder how much money that man begged, borrowed and stole before he finally got caught. I’m thinking it must be well beyond the $220,000 plus that we know of.
I wish poor Barb McKinnon were alive to hear of this. She too, like Berincie Lavoie, was duped by a priest and lost every penny of the nest egg she and her husband had so diligently tucked away for their ‘golden years.’ For Barb it was over $200,000. Years later, and only after filing legal action against the Diocese of Peterborough, she got a tiny fraction of it it back. May she rest in peace.
Father Yvon Doiron’s sentencing hearing of yesterday was adjourned to 05 March 2012 at 1:30 pm (Campbellton courthouse, Campbellton, New Brunswick)
I have heard but unable to confirm that it is scheduled for 1:30 pm this afternoon. I will keep trying to get confirmation.
This has been released today in L’Acadie Nouvelle,Tuesday, March 6, 2019
Sentencing postponed for Yvon Doiron
Campbellton – The former pastor Yvon Doiron, guilty of defrauding four parishes religious Restigouche East, will be sentenced later than expected.
Jean-Francois Boivert restigouche@acadienouvelle.com
Originally from Paquetville, the former clergyman now lives in Montreal. Absent so far in legal proceedings, he had traveled to be sentenced Monday in Campbellton Provincial Court.
However, the defense counsel, Mr. Charles LeBlanc, objected to the filing of the presentence report as presented to the court. He questioned the validity and relevance of several points raised in this report, even going so far as to call the document “tainted”
According to Mr. LeBlanc, many elements – such as references to earlier allegations against his client, the mention of the risk of recurrence and the lack of victim empathy – should not have to be listed this way in this document.
In return, the Crown argued that all these elements were essential to the presentence report so that it can draw an accurate and comprehensive of the accused.
She said the defense motion arises simply from the fact that the report painted an unflattering portrait of Mr. Doiron.
With more than three hours of debate on the question of the acceptability or rejection of the report, Judge Steven Hutchinson has agreed to hear the version of the author, a probation officer working in the Greater Montreal.
A meeting between the judge, Crown and defense to take place this Friday to determine a date for that hearing.
Background
Yvon Doiron admitted last fall guilty to four counts of fraud charges. He has defrauded the parish of St. John Baptist de Dalhousie amounting to $ 39.104, the parish of St. Francis Xavier, Charlo (1998-2005) for $ 25.256, the parish of Holy Trinity, Eel River Crossing (2003-2006) o $ 25.302, and the parish of St. Jean-Marie Vienney of Dundee (2003-2006) for $ 26.350. The total fraud amounts to more than $ 116,000 over nearly 10 years. The priest would have dipped into the funds of the parish for his personal needs. It would also diverted money from one institution to another to cover his actions. Beforehand, Doiron was facing more than 23 counts of charges of fraud. In pleading guilty, he reduced that number to four.
Translated from
Ceci a sortie aujourd’hui dans L’Acadie Nouvelles mardi 6 mars 2019
Sentence reportée pour Yvon Doiron
Campbellton – L’ex-curé Yvon Doiron, coupable d’avoir fraudé quatre paroisses religieuses de Restigouche Est, connaîtra sa sentence un peu plus tard que prévu.
Jean-François Boivert restigouche@acadienouvelle.com
Originaire de Paquetville, l’ancien homme d’Église habite désormais à Montréal. Absent jusqu’ici lors des procédures judiciaires, il avait fait le voyage afin de connaître sa sentence, lundi, à la Cour provinciale de Campbellton.
Toutefois, l’avocat de la défense, Me Charles LeBlanc, s’est opposé au dépôt du rapport présentenciel tel que présenté à la cour. Il a questionné le bien-fondé et la pertinence de plusieurs points soulevés dans ce rapport, allant même jusqu’à qualifier le document de « teinté »,
Selon M. LeBlanc, de nombreux éléments – comme des références antérieures aux faits reprochés à son client, la mention du risque de récidive et le peu d’empathie envers les victimes – n’auraient pas dû être indiqués de la sorte dans ce document.
En contrepartie, la Couronne a soutenu que tous ces éléments étaient essentiels au rapport présentenciel afin qu’il puisse tracer un portrait fidèle et global de l’accusé.
Selon elle, la requête de la défense survient tout simplement au fait que le rapport dépeint un portrait peu flatteur de M. Doiron.
Auprès plus de trois heures de débat sur la question de l’acceptabilité ou du rejet dudit rapport, le juge Steven Hutchinson a consenti à entendre la version de son auteur, un agent de probation qui travail dans la région du Grand Montréal.
Une rencontre entre le juge, la Couronne et la défense doit avoir lieu ce vendredi afin de déterminer une date pour cette audience.
Rappel des faits
Yvon Doiron a admis, l’automne dernier, sa culpabilité à quatre chefs d’accusations de fraudes. Il a ainsi fraudé la paroisse de Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Dalhousie pour un montant de 39,104$, la paroisse de Saint-François-Xavier de Charlo (1998 à 2005) pour 25,256$, la paroisse Sainte-Trinité d’Eel River Crossing (2003 à 2006) our 25,302$, ainsi que la paroisse Saint-Jean-Marie-Vienney de Dundee (2003 à 2006) pour 26,350$. Le total de la fraude s’élève donc à plus de 116,000$ sur une période de près de 10 ans. Le curé aurait pigé dans les fonds de ces paroisses pour ses besoins personnels. Il aurait également détourné des sommes d’un établissement à l’autre afin de couvrir ses agissements. Au préalable, Doiron faisait face à plus de 23 chefs d’accusations de fraudes. En plaidant coupable, il a réduit ce nombre à quatre.
Thank you Baspuit! So after three hours of argument it all came to grinding halt, and Doiron was not sentenced.
According to this report, Doiron’s lawyer protests the fact that the pre-sentence report “painted an unflattering portrait of Mr. Doiron.”
So, by the sound of it, a date will be set this Friday to put the probation officer who authored the report on the stand.
Oh my! How much money does this maneuvering cost the taxpayer?
The Friday session will be conducted in open court in Campbellton, Friday morning at 09:30 am, by teleconference. Given the three hours of argument yesterday it’s hard to know if this will go beyond the few minutes to set a date to put the probation officer on the stand. But, just to let all know, it is open to the public.
*We now hear on Radio Canada that he has been sentenced to 18 months in jail and must repay $48,000. No other details.
Thanks Suzanne. UI have posted a google translation of the only article I could find right now:
Was there anyone at the courthouse today who can tell us what happened and what the probation officer had to say in the per-sentence report which caused such upset for Father Doiron?
*From “The Tribune”, Campbellton, N.B.
Priest gets 18 months for fraud on his parishes
By Trevor McNally
28 May 2012 05:36PM
Campbellton — Stealing money over the
course of eight-plus years in the Dalhousie area some 20 years ago has
landed a former Roman Catholic priest behind bars.
Sentencing was held in Campbellton Provincial
Court on May 28 for Yvon Doiron, 63, who bilked four of his former
parishes of more than $116,000 between 1997 and 2005. He was originally
facing 23 fraud-related charges but ended up pleading guilty to four
charges that he stole money from the St-Jean-Baptiste parish ($39,000)
in Dalhousie, as well as parishes in Eel River Crossing ($25,000),
Charlo ($25,000) and Dundee ($26,000). In all, the total amount he stole
from his congregations was just over $116,013.
The charges date back close to six years with
the original investigation starting in June 2006 when Bishop of the
Diocese of Bathurst Valery Vienneau called the RCMP to report
irregularities in bank accounts of the local parishes in which Doiron
was working.
Crown Prosecutor Francois Doucet said that the
case was a serious incident of breach of trust and that specific and
general deterrence were paramount when it came to issuing a sentence. He
told Judge Steven Hutchinson that there was a joint sentencing
agreement with the defence of 18 months in jail.
Defence counsel Charles LeBlanc pointed out
that Doiron had paid back more than half of the money he stole and that
only $48,000 remained to be paid. He also noted that the files in the
case were voluminous to say the least and that by pleading guilty there
was no need for a preliminary inquiry and lengthy trial.
In the end, Hutchinson agreed to the
recommendation and sent Doiron to jail for 18 months. He also ordered
that upon his release, Doiron must pay back the remainder of the money
he stole.
========
Although Trever McNally wrote “Stealing money … some twenty years ago”, the thefts date back 15 years at most, and the most recent would have been around 7 years ago.
Thanks Suzanne, and thanks for pointing out errors.
I now have the article posted:
Have you heard anything about the probation officer’s testimony? I would love to know what he had to say which caused such upset for Father Doiron.
*Sylvia,
I had planned to be in Court, post-it on my screen and all…then a morning of gardening turned into a daylong ”mechanical” preoccupation!! When I looked it was 3:00PM!!
I can’t explain the many reasons which may have influenced this sentencing of Doiron but I look at it as raising the bar for other Judges when they sentence child abusers in the future…maybe we are getting higher on the learning curve..
You may want to consider this is in the same Court room where Picot’s trial took place…maybe Derek Lapointe’s very public disappointment, his letter to the AG had some influence. This money was taken from entire communities, a lot of people affected…elderly and very trusting…in an area with serious economic challenges…maybe it was not just the money situation but the fact it was easier to understand the social impact of this treason.
Maybe in this area where everyone knows a lot of people, the message has made it through the ”system”…
Maybe some ”seeds” were planted in fertile grounds…
This is not a disappointment! I want to think of it as a yard stick for future judgments, even when in comes to child abuse. I see it as one Judge finally getting the message and hopefully ”passing it on”…turning on the light for other Judges, for proportionately increased sentences in more serious crimes involving clergy …and all abusers of children more specifically.
We shouldn’t ”compare it”…. but make good use of it, in my view.
jg
Thanks for the thoughts jg. I actually wasn’t thinking Doiron’s sentence was stiff. I think he deserves and earned every single day. I was however thinking that Father James Boudreau warranted more time behind bars.
You may well be right. Perhaps this a sign of a judicial turn-around, at least in New Brunswick. I certainly hope so 🙂
*At first I was a bit surprised than anyone could think the sentence was stiff. If anything I would say it is only appropriate, considering the leniency we have been accustomed to. The more public and media outcry the Justice system hears about the more they will have to adjust to our expectation…Between turning the wheels of the church and the wheels of Justice I would not hold my breath just yet!
jg
*We just have to remember that the crimes are not in any way similar as far as the law is concerned, regardless of the fact that both are betrayals of the victims and all parishioners.
Judges are not unaware that imposing a very harsh sentence, when the same crime has not been so treated previously, is likely to result in an overturn on appeal based on precedent. They would have to very gradually up the time given to avoid that. A judge who sentences to 14 months when the usual sentence is 12 months might get away with it, allowing the next judge to sentence to 15 months and so on, but not so the judge who imposes a penitentiary term of 4 years when the norm has been 2 years less a day.