Serious questions are being asked about a South Shore bus driver who committed suicide after he had allegedly been harassed because he resembled a man police were after in connection with a rape.

Carl Dessureault, a 44-year-old bus driver with the Reseau de Transport de Longueuil for 22 years, commit suicide Sept. 17. His funeral was held Monday.

Workplace harassment may have played a role, said those close to him, after teasing by his coworkers began in July after a sketch was released by Longueuil police of a rape suspect in Brossard.

Dessureault, who was never a suspect in the case, resembled the sketch, and RTL admits a small group of coworkers would ask him questions, such as, "What's it like to rape women?"

Distressed by the taunting, Dessureault took time off on the advice of his supervisors, as they attempted to thwart the teasing, to no avail.

Raymond Allard, spokesperson for the RTL said while the taunting may have played a role, Dessureault was facing other problems as well.

"He also had personal problems. He was supposed to be divorced the week after (he died). It might be a combination of these bad moments that was too much for him," said Raymond Allard, spokesperson for the RTL.

Allard confirmed the transit company took Dessureault's complaints seriously, issuing a memo to employees stating that harassment would not be tolerated.

The RTL stresses that it was a small group of three or four employees that was involved in the alleged harassment.

Described as a dedicated RTL employee, Dessureault wrote several suicide notes, one of which he asked to be buried in his bus driver's uniform.

His family said the death was very distressing, especially because the majority of his colleagues respected him and he enjoyed his work before the harassment began.

"He loved his work, especially loved the people he worked with. He had a lot of friends, and a lot of love from them, and he gave a lot of love to them," said his sister Helen Dessureault.

Dessureault was never considered a rape suspect, confirmed Gaetan Durocher of the Longueuil police, who said Dessureault did not match the suspect's age or race.

The suspect is still at large.



