Obese Canada inmate released because Big House too small

3 days ago

OTTAWA (AFP) — A morbidly obese Canadian inmate has been released months ahead of schedule because his prison was not adequately suited to hold a man of his girth, a parole board said Thursday.

Michel "Big Mike" Lapointe, 37, had pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in February and in May was sentenced to five years in prison, less 20 months served awaiting trial.

But a judge later reduced his sentence because of hardships the 430-pound (195-kilogram) man claimed to have endured in a prison designed for smaller criminals.

This week, the Quebec Parole Board granted him early parole, saying in its decision he had been jailed for 25 months under "difficult conditions due to his health."

The parole board also noted that two halfway houses -- residences designed to help convicts transition from jail back into society -- had refused to take him in, and that he was well-behaved during his incarceration.

Lapointe, a former accountant for a drug-trafficking ring, would not normally have been eligible for parole until February 2009, but according to his lawyer Clemente Monterosso, his health was deteriorating.

His jail cell bed was a foot (25 centimeters) narrower than his body and he could not even sit on a chair, Monterosso said in May.

"Finally it's over," Lapointe told the daily Journal de Montreal on Wednesday. "I want a normal life. I made some mistakes and I paid for them."

"Now, I will finally have a decent bed and a chair I can sit on," he said.

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