Lester Landry Needs to Stop Stigmatizing Mental Illness!

Screenshot taken from Lester Landry’s Video Posted on Twitter / X Nov 29 2023

By Kelly Allard

A recent video posted by former Medicine Hat resident Lester Landry about his kidnapping charge claims

...”through evidence it was found out that I had somebody with me that was diagnosed with a mental illness that was being untreated I didn’t know that at the time...”

and that 

“when the crown attorney found out about the mental illness issue they decided that they did not want to proceed with the trial”

Landry accuses the complainant of having an anxiety attack and subsequent meltdown; Landry says that is why she wanted out of his van. (Transcript of video at end of article)

Landry does not state the mental illness in question; he has provided no proof whatsoever.

I’m no mental health expert but I’ve had decades of experience of being a female. 

Here’s How I See It

This is taken from Landry’s phone call with Community TV /The Trash Panda shortly after Landry ‘s arrest.

A Strange Man (SM) hires me to clean his house. I don’t drive but I’m happy to take a bus. SM says he has an errand near me and can give me a ride. SM picks me up in his van with his dog at a location near my home; it’s 3.7km to his home.

To me this is NOT a social engagement, I have no interest in being this man’s friend.

I get in and we start driving. He has a ton of cash ($1245) in his open wallet on the console between the front seats. I was expecting to go straight to SM’s house so I can 

get to work

get paid and

go home

but the large amount of cash in the open wallet is making me feel nervous. What kind of person picks up a strange female with a wallet full of cash and leaves it on the console? Is he expecting more than his doorknobs to be polished?

SM says his dog needs to go for a run; he then drives in the OPPOSITE direction heading OUTSIDE the city limits. It’s a 5 minute drive to his place and he’s turning it into at least another half hour, most likely much longer. I’m very uncomfortable, my spidey senses are tingling. A housecleaning job has now turned into something very different.

SM drives to a remote area about 6.8km away from where he picked me up; this is nowhere near the Redcliff Dog Park where I might feel safe. I’m wondering - what is he expecting me to do in this remote area when he has a wallet full of cash on the console? There’s only one thing in my mind - I’m at the mercy of the SM in a remote area. I might not be young and beautiful anymore but that doesn’t mean I’m not at risk.

It raises red flags for any female and/or vulnerable person. I’d be jumping out of the van the first chance I got and calling police too. That has sweet f--- all to do with any mental illness, that’s self preservation.

Having a Mental Illness Doesn’t Make Someone Unreliable

Here’s the mental illnesses I’ve been diagnosed with at different points in my six decades.

- Depression

- Severe stress

- Caregiver PTSD

I’ve even been diagnosed with a panic attack and yes, I’ve had the occasional meltdown.

I’m not taking any medications for my mental health issues.

Does that mean that my mental health issues are untreated?

No

Does it mean that what I say is unreliable?

No

This sort of BS is exactly why women are reluctant to come forward about anything.

It‘s hard to prove anything unless you have a video and that is no guarantee.

For far too long women have been branded as hysterical and over-emotional.

For far too long we’ve been gaslighted into thinking we take everything too seriously.

For far too long we were asked “What were you wearing?” or “How many sexual partners have you had?” when we were sexually assaulted as if we were to blame for enticing the attack.

For far too long it was legal to beat or even rape your spouse; that law only changed in 1983 with Bill C-127.

Overburdened Crown prosecutors may find it easier to make deals and sign Peace Bonds with the accused instead of going to trial.

In a perfect world a Peace Bond would have been in effect when Landry assaulted Tom.

In a perfect world Landry would have been found guilty of a criminal offence by violating that Peace Bond when he assaulted Tom.

The complainant did NOT overreact; most women would have a similar reaction. To blame it on an anxiety attack or a meltdown is out and out gaslighting.

Lester Landry Needs to Stop Stigmatizing Mental Illness

Transcript of Landry’s Video (With Notes)

Hello Les Landry and as many people know back in January, January 14 I was charged with kidnapping

(He was charged Jan 18, the “kidnapping” happened on Jan 14)

and as with any criminal charge it was serious. There was a lot of people that pre-judged and a lot of rumour and gossip went around in the community and I paid a heavy price for that I’m not going to go into the details of what happened to me because of it. What I’d like to point out is some of the facts related to the charge.

(Facts are provable, Landry has offered no proof.)

Unknown to me and through evidence, it was found out that I had somebody with me that was diagnosed with a mental illness that was being untreated; I didn’t know that at the time.

(Again, Landry has provided NO evidence of this at all.)

That person had a meltdown, left the vehicle, did not jump from the vehicle, the vehicle was stopped. She claimed she jumped out of the vehicle, ran beside the vehicle to close the door; that’s hard to believe. One of the media reports said that they located her in the isolated area, after a brief description they found me. That’s not true, they found me first because I waited for them and I told the police where she was so lets clear the air on that one.

When the crown attorney found out about the mental illness issue they decided that they did not want to proceed with the trial. I wanted to go to trial because I felt that would be the only way to clear my name.

After we made a deal for me to sign a peace bond.

(NB - the kidnapping charge was STAYED, not dropped. This means the case is put on hold for one year. If it is not resumed within that year it cannot be brought back before the court; it goes away. Landry agreed to a Peace Bond, any violation of that results in a criminal charge. )

I did with the agreement that
A - I was to get my property back that they seized as evidence, I picked it up yesterday.

The other part of the deal which they haven't fulfilled is I was supposed to get a statement, stating that they decided not to proceed because they could not prove any intent; without intent there is no crime. I have not received it and that is why I am making this video.

I know there are some people who aren't going to accept the facts as facts, they’re still going to prejudge me and they’re still going to believe the rumour and gossip. I have no control over that and I wish that people would consider and think about what happened to me January 14 can happen to anybody, including you.

More to Come, Stay Tuned!

Upcoming articles include Landry’s posts on social media claiming innocence, his past interactions with law enforcement including being arrested and interrogated about the murder of Irene Pearson in 1979.

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