When police violate the Charter rights of an accused, there is a price to pay. That price, in Chrissy Predham-Newman's case, is her alleged murderer, her estranged husband, walked out of court a free man. On January 21, 2007, Chrissy Predham-Newman was found murdered in her apartment, her throat slashed, in her apartment in Airport Heights, St. John’s, Newfoundland and … [Read more...]
No Trial for Anuja Baskaran’s Alleged Murder says Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled a man accused of murdering his wife in 2012 will never stand trial because of excessive delays bringing the accused killer to court. (See SCC's 2016 decision in R. v. Jordan) Backstory In 2004, Sri Lankan refugee Sivaloganathan Thanabalasingam landed in Canada to start a new life. At some point, date unknown, he married Anuja Baskaran and, … [Read more...]
Canada’s Revolving Door Justice System – Whitehorse Edition
On July 8th, 2020, Yukon RCMP's Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) executed a search warrant at the home of a suspected drug dealer in the the Kopper King area of Whitehorse. Robert Savard, 47, was arrested and charged with a host of drug trafficking charges, obstructing a peace officer and resisting arrest. The full list of charges Robert Savard now faces are below: … [Read more...]
Is it Lawful to Resist an Unlawful Arrest?
Note: While I quote extensively from it here, Justice Fergus O’Donnell's decision in R. v. Duncan should be required reading for all of us, if only for the footnotes. It's also brilliant to read how skillfully this honourable judge essentially protected the defendant from himself. Abraham Lincoln, a crafty lawyer before he became an immortal president, said: … [Read more...]
Sarwanjit Randhawa: Why would you keep a child conceived by rape?
Our Immigration and Refugee Board seriously needs to find better judges. Following up on my Monday commentary Refugee Presumed a Liar by Former Conservative Candidate Turned Refugee Judge, Sarwanjit Randhawa is my candidate for Refugee Judicial Clod of the Year. When a woman applied for refugee status in Canada, she never thought her claim would be denied because she made … [Read more...]
Refugee Presumed a Liar by Former Conservative Candidate Turned Refugee Judge
When Halima Alari (an alias to protect her identity) came to Canada as a refugee she never thought she be asked to justify why she was alive. She was wrong. After explaining she want to come to Canada to escape her abusive husband, Alari was stunned by the judge’s question. “If he really wants you to be gone, “Why doesn’t he just kill you?” Immigration and Refugee … [Read more...]
One Law for Me, Another for Thee
When you break the law in Canada, be it one of our many firearm laws or some other section of the Criminal Code, how you are treated by our justice system depends solely upon your legal status at the time of your offence. What's the colour of the stripe running down your pant legs? What? No stripe? Then may God have mercy on you because Canada's justice system certainly … [Read more...]
Why do Criminals Go Free When Police Screw Up?
In response to my Friday column Cops Screw Up: Drug Dealer Jermaine Barrows-Taylor Escapes Illegal Handgun Conviction, one reader shared his frustration with this case specifically, as well as these types of cases in general. I do not understand why police screwups result in criminals going free. If police illegally search a vehicle and find a body, does the driver get a … [Read more...]
Cops Screw Up: Drug Dealer Jermaine Barrows-Taylor Escapes Illegal Handgun Conviction
On February 20, 2020, Justice Timothy Lipson acquitted Jermaine Barrows-Taylor of all firearm-related charges, but accepted his guilty plea for drug trafficking. At the time of his arrest for a violation of the Highway Traffic Act on August 26, 2018, Jermaine Barrows-Taylor was under a Firearms Prohibition Order and his driver’s licence was revoked. When Toronto Police … [Read more...]
Violent Repeat Offender Thomas Kruger-Allen Pleads Guilty to Assault
On April 29th I asked the question "Will the coronavirus pandemic alter the Supreme Court’s interpretation of its landmark 'justice delayed is justice denied' ruling in R. v. Jordan?" I then said a series of upcoming assault and murder trials placed in limbo by COVID-19 meant we would likely find out, since the core of the Jordan decision is our Charter section 11(b) right to … [Read more...]