Only in Canada can this kind of stupidity go on.  Our so-called “justice” system is so completely broken that only here would we let someone OUT of prison for the crime of shooting another human being.

Curtis Andrew Furlotte has been sitting in jail since he was arrested last December for shooting someone.   Last week at his sentencing hearing, the judge RELEASED him from jail.

For the crime of shooting someone with a handgun Curtis Furlotte was sentenced by provincial court judge Henrik Tonning to time served, plus a 12-month conditional sentence and probation.

On December 12th , while he was ALREADY on probation for other offences, he shot a 32-year-old man in the leg.  The wound was not life-threatening I must assume, given it took the shooting victim three days to report it to the RCMP.

What shocks me about this case is this:

It shows with stark clarity how seriously our so-called justice system takes the crime of attempted murder.  In two words… Not Very.

This case happened just down the road from Burton New Brunswick resident Lawrence Manzer, who, if you’ve followed my ramblings for any time at all, you’ll know was charged with “weapon dangerous to the public peace” after he and neighbour Brian Fox apprehended three drunken punks who’d been vandalizing and stealing from their neighbourhood for over 6 months.

Actually it was Fox who did the apprehending… Manzer never left his front porch, where he stood with his unloaded shotgun, making sure everything was under control while he had his wife dial 9-1-1.  Again..

Throughout the entire 6 months these teenagers were harassing the neighbourhood the RCMP couldn’t be bothered to show up and deal with them.  It wasn’t until Fox and Manzer had done the job the RCMP refused to do that charges were laid.

But not against the drunken kids causing all the trouble… but against Fox and Manzer.

Brian Fox was charged with assault for the “crime” of citizen’s arrest.  Manzer was charged with “pointing a firearm” despite the fact he never pointed it at anyone.  That charge was later dropped in favour of the one he now faces… “weapon dangerous”.

Now, given how seriously New Brunswick’s judiciary takes the actual shooting of someone… my sincere hope is that Manzer is sentenced to “go home”.  After all, he didn’t do anything illegal.  He stood outside his front door with an unloaded shotgun.  He didn’t point it at anyone and he didn’t threaten anyone with the unloaded hunk of metal.

Now, I realize I’m probably living in a dream world, thinking that Manzer will get off scott free on these charges, like he should.

My reason for thinking I’m living in la-la land is that Ontario resident Ian Thomson is currently facing charges for daring to save his own life from three arsonists who literally tried to kill him by burning his house down with Mr. Thomson inside it.

Thomson, a firearms instructor, grabbed one of his firearms from his safe and fired a few shots to scare the attempted murderers away.

It worked.  They ran away like the little cowards they are.

Then the police came.  Instead of arresting the perpetrators and charging them with attempted murder, it’s Ian Thomson who faces charges.

It’s ridiculous.  Utterly ridiculous.

Neither of these cases should EVER have made it to a courtroom.

What SHOULD have happened is both men should have been thanked by the RCMP for doing what needed to be done to stop crimes in progress.

But this is Canada, and the RCMP, like any gang worth it’s thug label, doesn’t like competition.

So they arrest and charge the victims of crime.

Did I say ridiculous?

I mean disgusting.

 

END NOTE:

Yes, there are some very good RCMP constables out there.  I’ve met and worked with some of them.

But there are, it seems, a lot more who act like thugs in a street gang and put down any threat to their “turf”, like Manzer and Thomson.  They’re the ones who need to be removed, and replaced with RCMP members who comprehend that they are here to serve the public, not abuse us at every turn.