Judge Claude Provost ordered Roland Plante, a police officer who had been on sick leave for several years, to be detained in a cell after an incident at the preliminary hearing of Plante's colleague in June 2007.

Plante's former partner, Pierre Charron, was charged with assaulting Plante.

After Provost dismissed the case because he did not believe Plante's testimony, Plante made several sarcastic remarks in the judge's direction. After giving him two warnings, Provost ordered Plante to be held in a cell but did not explain why.

The council ruled that depriving Plante of his freedom was too serious a punishment given the circumstances.