Friday, March 20, 2015

Jacques Delisle; (Former Justice of the Quebec Court of Appea): Lawyer James Lockyer and Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC) confirm they have taken on the case and say in a press release that "They believe that Mr. Delisle (79) - believed to be the only judge in Canadian history to have been convicted of murder - was wrongly convicted of first degree murder in the death of his wife, Nicole Rainville." CBC's "Fifth Estate presents documentary on case this evening (Friday March 20, 2015); Release says "Crown and defence ballistic experts gave conflicting positions as to whether Mrs. Rainville took her own life or was murdered. AIDWYC believes that the Centre of Forensic Sciences, a world-renowned facility, can settle the matter once and for all." Release also says: Mr. Delisle was convicted of a crime he did not commit for two reasons – incorrect forensic testimony led at his trial and because he failed to testify in his own defence."..."The Justice Minister is also being provided with affidavits from Mr. Delisle, his family members and his trial counsel, Jacques Larochelle, which explain why he did not testify at his trial. He was hoping to spare his and Nicole’s children and grandchildren from further public anguish and humiliation. His decision not to testify was a misguided attempt to do the right thing." Publisher's Note: Due to a 'writing' assignment, I will not be filing fresh posts for several weeks. (With the exception of breaking news;) When I am back in action I will make up for lost time with a vengeance. In the meantime, please keep me up to date with developments and don't hesitate to bring new matters of interest to this Blog to my attention at hlevy15@gmail.com.


BREAKING NEWS: "Today, Mr. Delisle’s counsel, James Lockyer, a Toronto lawyer, and the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted / L’Association pour la Défense des Personnes Injustement Condamnées (AIDWYC) announce that they are taking on Mr. Delisle’s case and seeking a review of his case by the Minister of Justice, the Honourable Peter Mackay. They believe that Mr. Delisle was wrongly convicted of first degree murder in the death of his wife, Nicole Rainville.........On the morning of November 12, 2009, Mr. Delisle came home to his condominium in Quebec City to find that his wife had taken her own life. She had shot herself in the left temple. On June 14, 2012, a jury convicted Mr. Delisle of first degree murder. He lost his appeal in the Quebec Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear his case. Mr. Delisle has been imprisoned at Sainte Anne- des-Plaines Penitentiary outside Montreal since that day. He was 77 years old then and on May 4, 2015, he will turn 80. Mr. Delisle is eligible for parole in 2037 so, in effect, unless AIDWYC is successful in showing that he was wrongly convicted, he will die in prison.........Mr. Lockyer and AIDWYC are asking the Centre of Forensic Sciences, an internationally recognized and reputed forensic laboratory whose mandate is under the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services for Ontario, to conduct a review of the forensic evidence in Mrs. Rainville’s death. At the trial, Crown and defence ballistic experts gave conflicting positions as to whether Mrs. Rainville took her own life or was murdered. AIDWYC believes that the Centre of Forensic Sciences, a world-renowned facility, can settle the matter once and for all. The Justice Minister is also being provided with affidavits from Mr. Delisle, his family members and his trial counsel, Jacques Larochelle, which explain why he did not testify at his trial. He was hoping to spare his and Nicole’s children and grandchildren from further public anguish and humiliation. His decision not to testify was a misguided attempt to do the right thing. Mr. Delisle’s children – his son Jean and his daughter Élène – have never wavered in their belief in their father’s innocence. They loved their mother and they love their father, and know he is incapable of having done the dreadful thing he is in prison for. Mr. Delisle said from the prison in Sainte Anne-des-Plaines: “I loved Nicole. I did not kill her. She took her own life. Her infirmities were so dreadful that she did not want to go on living and I could not change her mind. Nicole and I both shared the belief that we have a right to determine our own destinies so I could not stop her. I am so grateful that my family has always believed this. Today is the beginning of what I hope will bring out the truth.”.........James Lockyer, Mr. Delisle’s counsel said today: “An application was filed yesterday with the Minister of Justice on the grounds that Mr. Delisle’s conviction constitutes a miscarriage of justice. In the coming months, I hope that the case will be reviewed by the Centre of Forensic Sciences, a forensic institution of impeccable quality. This is a terribly sad case. I believe that Mr. Delisle is spending his sunset years in prison for a crime he did not commit.” Jerome Kennedy, a former Attorney General for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and a Director of AIDWYC, said: “AIDWYC believes that Mr. Delisle was wrongly convicted. It is our task to do what we can to convince the Minister that this is so. We have done it before – for men, women and children from all walks of life, and now we have to do it for a retired judge.”
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/14c370b50b58e5d3
  
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

Dear Readers. Due to a 'writing' assignment,  I will not be filing fresh posts for several weeks. (With the exception of breaking news;)  When I am back in action I will make up for lost time with a vengeance. In the meantime, please keep me up to date with developments and don't hesitate to bring new matters of interest to this Blog to my attention at hlevy15@gmail.com.
 
Best wishes,
 
Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.
 
PS: For latest coverage of the Mark Lundy retrial  go to: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/mark-lundy-murder-retrial