QUOTE OF THE DAY: "You kept the faith with your remarkable dignity," said Justice James Chipman in a rare address from the bench to an accused. "You are to be commended for your courage and resilience. You are a free man. I sincerely wish you every success."
Justice James Chipman;
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: : Assoun was convicted of second-degree murder in the 1995 death of Brenda LeAnne Way. The conviction came with an automatic life sentence. At his first trial in 1999, Justice Suzanne Hood ordered that Assoun must serve 18½ years before he could begin applying for parole. Assoun has always maintained his innocence. The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal rejected Assoun's appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear his case, so Assoun turned to the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted, now known as Innocence Canada. The team of Toronto-based lawyers agreed to take on Assoun's case and started lobbying the federal justice minister to take another look."
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STORY: "'I finally proved my innocence:' N.S. man who spent nearly 17 years in prison for murder is freed," by reporter Blair Rhodes, published by The CBC on March 1, 2019. (Blair Rhodes has been a journalist for more than 35 years, the last 27 with CBC. His primary focus is on stories of crime and public safety.)
GIST: "A
Nova Scotia man who spent nearly 17 years in prison after being
convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend says he has proved his innocence,
now that a new trial ordered Friday isn't being pursued. The case
against Glen Assoun was dismissed in a Halifax court on
Friday following a decision by the federal justice minister ordering a
new trial. "I'm grateful for the outcome," said Assoun, 63. "I finally proved my innocence in a court of law. Prosecutor
Mark Scott said in Nova Scotia Supreme Court that the Crown has
reassessed the case and doesn't believe there is a realistic prospect of
conviction, so is not pursuing another trial. Assoun was convicted of second-degree murder in the 1995 death of Brenda LeAnne Way. The
conviction came with an automatic life sentence. At his first trial in
1999, Justice Suzanne Hood ordered that Assoun must serve 18½ years
before he could begin applying for parole. Assoun has always maintained his innocence. The
Nova Scotia Court of Appeal rejected Assoun's appeal and the Supreme
Court of Canada refused to hear his case, so Assoun turned to the
Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted, now known as Innocence
Canada. The team of Toronto-based lawyers agreed to take on Assoun's case and started lobbying the federal justice minister to take another look. Lengthy fight: The whole process has been long and complicated. Way's
body was discovered behind an apartment building on Albro Lake Road in
Dartmouth on Nov. 12, 1995. The 28-year-old had been stabbed multiple
times and her throat was cut. Family members said Way, a former prostitute, was cleaning up her life and living with her father when she died. Assoun's
trial started in the spring of 1999 and concluded the following
September after he fired his lawyer, opting to represent himself. His
appeal was heard in January 2006. When Innocence Canada started
lobbying, the Conservatives were in power in Ottawa and Peter MacKay was
federal justice minister. The case against Glen Assoun was dismissed in a Halifax court on Friday. 1:06 In
November 2014, Assoun was granted bail while federal bureaucrats
reviewed his case. He had been in prison for nearly 17 years at that
point. At that time, Assoun was ordered to live in British Columbia. But his bail was modified in 2017 to allow him to return to Nova Scotia, as long as he stayed away from certain places and people who might be involved in a new trial, should one be ordered. "You kept the faith with your remarkable dignity," said Justice James Chipman in a rare address from the bench to an accused. "You are to be commended for your courage and resilience. You are a free man. I sincerely wish you every success." Outside
court, Assoun's lawyer, Philip Campbell, said police withheld evidence
that could have resulted in a much earlier acquittal. Both Campbell and
Assoun said there should be a public inquiry. A spokesperson for Halifax Regional Police, Const. John MacLeod, responded with a written statement. "We believe our officers conducted a thorough investigation into Brenda Way's homicide at the time," the statement read. "Our
thoughts are with Ms. Way's family, as we are sure today's news is
disappointing to them. We share in their disappointment; however, we
respect the process.""
The entire story can be read at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/glen-assoun-justice-supreme-court-1.5038635
